Faisal Al Ketbi leads the UAE charge at Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Faisal Al Ketbi has been on the podium every year since the start of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2009.

Faisal Al Ketbi is the leading jiu-jitsu fighter in the UAE. Mona Al-Marzooqi / The National

Faisal Al Ketbi has been on the podium every year since the first Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, in 2009. On Thursday, he marches into new territory when he attempts to become the first Emirati to win a medal in the black-belt division in Abu Dhabi.

Well prepared

The promotion last year has meant a shift up in gear for the 27-year-old player. “The training has increased, in terms of technique, especially, it’s been stepped up,” he said. “I’m concentrating on my skill set more than the other aspects. Usually I train five days a week, two to three times a day. We split the training sessions into physical and technical exercises. You’ll see that our preparation and our standard will be very good in this tournament. I’m optimistic and hopefully will win.”

Handling pressure

The pressure is on Al Ketbi to deliver a medal-winning performance in front of his fans, but he is getting backing from an old friend.

Marcos Oliveira, making a return to professional competition at the World Pro after a two-year break, said: “Everyone should get behind him and applaud and respect him for what he has already achieved. I met Faisal for the first time in 2001. I was with the Brazilian national wrestling team in Bulgaria to prepare for the Pan American Games and Faisal was with the UAE team also based in the same camp. I never thought I will cross his path again until I arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2009. In the last six years I have seen him develop to become the top athlete in jiu-jitsu in the UAE.”

Numbers growing

Al Ketbi has become one of the big names in Emirati jiu-jitsu and he is now hoping to set an example for others to follow. “Year after year we have noticed the increase in the number of participants and the number of champions,” he said. “And there’s an increase in the number of people taking up the sport. This is a welcome sign that jiu-jitsu is progressing and is on the right path. The participants are representing the country in the right way at the moment.”

One event at a time

For Al Ketbi, it is all about the fight for a black-belt gold. And beyond that? “I’ll be preparing in for the ADCC tournament in August, and then Asian Championship,” he said. “Hopefully we will continue to be successful in the future.”

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