Zayed Alkatheeri

Zayed Alkatheeri is a professional jiu-jitsu athlete from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who is a black belt in BJJ under coach Ribamar Santiago and the first Emirati to win a gold medal at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan American Championship at the adult black belt level. Zayed Alkatheeri made a name for himself as one of the sport’s top roosterweight athletes through his performances on the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP) Tour circuit, a prestigious league where Zayed conquered the World Pro and Grand Slam events prior to his black belt promotion, a winning trend that carried through to Alkatheeri’s pro-level career.

Zayed Alkatheeri Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Zayed Alkatheeri

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Fábio Gurgel > Ribamar Santiago > Zayed Alkatheeri

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2023)
• 1st Place AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2022)
• 1st Place AJP Grand Slam, LDN (2023)
• 1st Place AJP Grand Slam, MIA (2022)
• 1st Place AJP Grand Slam, ABD (2023)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2024)
• 2nd Place AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2023)
• 2nd Place AJP Grand Slam, RJ (2022)
• 3rd Place AJP UAE Nationals (2022)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

1st Place AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2020 purple)
1st Place AJP Grand Slam, ABD (2020 purple, 2022 brown)
1st Place AJP Grand Slam, MIA (2021 brown)
1st Place AJP Grand Slam, LA (2019 blue)
1st Place AJP EU Continental Pro (2019 blue)

Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard

Weight Division: Peso Galo (57,50 kg / 127.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Commando Group

Zayed Alkatheeri Biography

Zayed Alkatheeri was born on March 15, 2000, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates located in the Persian Gulf.

Growing up, Zayed was not particularly sporty, but at the age of 16 (2017), he decided to give jiu-jitsu a try, given how popular the sport was in the UAE. To kickstart this new journey, Zayed joined the Al Jazeera Sportsclub under the instruction of coach Ribamar Santiago – himself a student of Fábio Gurgel of the Alliance Academy in São Paulo, Brazil.

Almost immediately drawn to the sport, Zayed became a regular at coach Santiago’s class from the start, and in 2018, one year after he started grappling, he opted to follow the sport professionally, dedicating all his time and effort to his development as a competitor.

Turning professional as a white belt is a type of dedication rarely seen in this sport, but Zayed was able to reap the benefits of his early commitment by climbing the ranks of jiu-jitsu at an astoundingly fast rate, winning many of the AJP’s top events on his way to the black belt promotion.

Zayed Alkatheeri was promoted to black belt on May 10, 2022, just 5 years after he first stepped on the mats, an incredibly fast climb through the ranks.