DECEMBER 03, 2021, FLORIANOPOLIS, BRAZIL, held the 9th edition of Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro Tour’s (AJP) Queen Of Mats and King Of Mats events, a style of tournament that has traditionally featured the champions of each of the federation’s Grand Slam tours.
Last night we saw a smaller than usual event, featuring both the male heavyweights (up to 120 kg) and female lightweights (up to 62 kg). The tournament was an excellent apetizer for those waiting for the IBJJF World Championships (next week) as it was the last time we got to see some of the championship’s seeded players compete before the big show. Follow the results below.
The tournament was dominated by one of Fight Sport’s rising stars, Roosevelt Sousa. Sadly, we won’t see Roosevelt compete in the USA this year due to visa complications – a terrible blow for the young talent who would undoubtedly be one of the favorites. Roosevelt played on the offense throughout the KOM event, constantly looking for the finish, an attitude that paid off with another gold medal in the AJP circuit.
On the opposite side of the bracket, GFT’s Wallace Costa continues to impress the grappling world. Although still a relativelly fresh black belt, Costa showed great skill and composure on the mats, particularly for such a large individual. Expect him to turn a few heads his way at the Mundial tournament.
GROUP 1
– Roosevelt Sousa def. Gerard Labinski via straight ankle lock/botinha
– Gabriel Henrique def. Gerard Labinski via WO*
– Roosevelt Sousa def. Gabriel Henrique via 1×0
* Labinski injured his knee against Sousa and did not return to the mat for Henrique. Victory via “Without Opponent”.
GROUP 2
– Wallace Costa def. Patrick Gaudio via 2×2
– Wallace Costa def. Fernando Tsushima via 2×0
– Patrick Gaudio def. Fernando Tsushima via 3×2
SEMI-FINALS:
– Wallace Costa def. Gabriel Henrique via 3×1
– Roosevelt Sousa def. Patrick Gaudio via 7×2
3RD PLACE MATCH:
– Gabriel Henrique def. Patrick Gaudio via 3×0
FINAL:
– Roosevelt Sousa def. Wallace Costa via 1×0
Although stacked with talent, the Queen Of Mats did miss out on a few of the top ranked lightweights of the AJP. Names such as Anna Rodrigues, Mayssa Bastos, Julia Alves, to name a few who are currently doing their Mundial camps in the United States. With these names out of the brackets, we saw quite a few weight discrepancies between the athletes which ended up producing a handful of very uneven bouts. That said, many of our sport’s top players did show up, particularly the formidable Bia Mesquita (Gracie Humaitá / Dream Art), Bianca Basílio (Almeida JJ / Atos), and Nathalie Ribeiro (Checkmat).
Mesquita and Ribeiro appeared particularly inspired last night in the pursuit for the submission. An attitude for which both have been celebrated throughout their careers. Last night, after terrific performances during the group stages, the two lightweights went “toe-to-toe” in a very balanced match. Both athletes had a chance to play their “A-game”, the guard, but no one got a clear advantage over the other.
GROUP 1
– Beatriz Mesquita def. Alexa Yanes via Armbar
– Brenda Larissa def. Alexa Yanes via 4×1
– Beatriz Mesquita def. Brenda Larissa via Choke from the back
GROUP 2
– Nathalie Ribeiro def. Bianca Basilio via 5×1
– Bianca Basilio def. Duda Tozoni via Armbar
– Nathalie Ribeiro def. Duda Tozoni via Armlock
SEMI-FINALS:
– Beatriz Mesquita def. Bianca Basilio via decision (0x0 pts)
– Nathalie Ribeiro def. Brenda Larissa via Triangle armlock
3RD PLACE MATCH:
– Bianca Basilio def. Brenda Larissa via 10×0
FINAL:
– Nathalie Ribeiro def. Beatriz Mesquita via 1×1
Nathalie didn’t win by decision, she won by last to score under AJP rules due to better strategy (waiting to score last and then blocking all the attacks in the last minute). Also, Mayssa and Anna were not missing—they participated in the last QOTM (against Luiza Monteiro) and were so considered to be invited already.
Hello Meg He, thank you for your comment. Yes, indeed Nathalie won via ruleset, our mistake. That said, Anna competed at QOM in 2018, she has since won 7 Grand Slam events. Tozoni is yet to win her first, therefore, it is safe to assume she would have been selected to the event under a different set of circumstances, particularly if you keep in mind that Basilio was also at that 2018 QOM.
That’s fair on Anna vs. Bia at last QOM, but Tozoni won Rio Grand Slam in Dec 2020 beating Brenda Larissa in the Final (it’s on BJJ Heroes too – she is on AJP as Maria Ono). Also, while I appreciate the discussion, I did not name myself on purpose and prefer to stay anonymous — it does say email address will not be published. I would prefer if you could edit your comment to reflect that! Thank you 🙂