Two-day jiu-jitsu event is a tease to next week's big show

Some of the best exponents of the art will be on show as a warm-up for next week's main US$1 million World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship at the same venue.

ABU DHABI // Some of the best exponents of jiu-jitsu will be on show in the two-day competition starting tomorrow at the National Exhibition Centre that serves as a warm-up for next week's main US$1 million World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship at the same venue, a three-day event starting on April 14.

More than 300 fighters will be in action for the third staging of the championship, which starts with the No-Gi event, a warm-up competition in which fighters compete in T-shirts and do not wear a traditional "gi" or combat kimono.

A junior event will also be staged for the first time on the opening day of the main championship, the culmination of a series of trials that have taken place in 16 cities across the world in both the Gi and No-Gi classes over the past nine months. Organisers hope to further strengthen Abu Dhabi's desire to become a world player in jiu-jitsu in training and development. This year's UAE team includes several members who won gold in last year's championship, including the captain Faisal al Ketbi, who won two gold medals last year, and Tarek al Ketbi and Yahia Mansoor, both gold medallists.

Faisal al Ketbi is widely regarded as the No 1 in the country and will compete in the over-92kgs weight category in both the Gi and No-Gi categories, in addition to the open-weight category.

"The competition will be fierce because of the number of great fighters from all over the world," he said.

Action from all five days will be broadcast live on Abu Dhabi Sports, which will provide match analysis throughout the event.