UAE’s Zayed Al-Kathiri and Omar Al-Fadhli book their spot in finals for black-belt holders on Saturday ABU DHABI: Purple, brown and black-belt competitions were the highlight of the eighth day of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship as professional category fighters took to the mat at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in the UAE capital on Friday. Following the final competitions for purple and brown belt categories, the UAE’s Commando Group occupied the top place in the standings followed by Brazilian Gfteam in second place and PSLPB Cicero Costha (Brazil) in third. The UAE’s Zayed Al-Kathiri and Omar Al-Fadhli have booked their spot in the black-belt finals on Saturday, which will be followed by the Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Awards The competitions were attended by Abdul Moniem Al-Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, president of the Asian Ju-Jitsu Union and senior vice president of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation, Mohammed Salem Al-Dhaheri, vice chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Jose Aguero Avila, ambassador of Paraguay, Fabricio Satiro Oliveira, mayor of Balneario Camboriu city in Brazil, Saed Hijazi Salameh, general manager, sales, Jaguar Land Rover at Premier Motors and Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, secretary general of the UAEJJF. Mohamed Bin Dalmouk Al-Dhaheri, board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, praised the the Emirati champions for their performances on Friday. “I congratulate Zayed Al-Kathiri and Omar Al-Fadhli on reaching the black-belt finals. They are one victory away from making history and accomplishing a feat never achieved. I also request their devoted fans to support them wholeheartedly in tomorrow’s fight,” he said. Al-Dhaheri emphasised that the players’ outstanding performance in Friday’s matches demonstrated the UAEJJF’s successful strategy, which included providing all the resources necessary for them to hone their skills. The Brazilian athletes, who have also excelled in Abu Dhabi, received a boost after Fabricio Satiro Oliveira, mayor of the Brazilian city of Balneario Cambori, paid a visit to the Arena to show his support for the competitors. “The level of competition, excellence I have seen here and Abu Dhabi’s dedication to jiu-jitsu development are all inspiring,” he said. He added that he plans to construct a training center in his city that “will help them hold tournaments with the qualities he has experienced in Abu Dhabi and will impact lives.” Mayed Alshehhi (purple belt) of the UAE won silver in the 56 kg division, strengthening the hosts’ position in the medal table. “For any player hoping for a future professional jiu-jitsu career, winning a medal at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship was a huge step. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get the gold, but we must recognize that losing is a necessary component of the game. This is a lesson for me to keep improving myself and win more medals in the future,” the Baniyas club champion said. Omar Ali-Alsuwaidi, also a Baniyas player, won silver in the same division. “I made double efforts to outperform the opponent, and we were tied until the end of the match, and he won with a tiny advantage. I am sure that the next championship will a greater one for me as I will be getting myself ready with the lessons I learnt this year,” he said.