Zaid Al-Kathiri becomes UAE’s first black belt gold medalist at Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships

ABU DHABI: The UAE’s Zayed Al-Kathiri created history on Saturday by becoming the first-ever black belt holder in the country to win gold at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships.

The star of Baniyas Club and the national team took the medal on the final day of the competition at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports City by outperforming Brazilian Nathanael Fernandes, who was competing for the UAE’s Commando Group, in a match that stoked the passion of the spectators.

Saturday saw 12 fights in the professional division in various weight classes, with black belt men, and brown and black belt women, taking to the mats.

The Commando Group emerged the winner in the professional division, with Brazil’s GFTeam in second and the UAE’s ADMA in third. The UAE champions excelled over the course of three days, taking home nine medals, including a gold medal, seven silver medals, and a bronze medal.

“Abu Dhabi proved yet again that it is a global hub of jiu-jitsu, it is capable of hosting events of the highest caliber and raising the bar for hosting major sporting events. It’s the favorite destination for legends from around the world to realize their dreams and ambitions,” said 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.

“Today’s performance by the Emirati champions was spectacular and they showcased their greatest accomplishments to the entire world. Now we can proudly say that the nation’s athletes have won every title available in this sport on the national and international levels,” he added.

Following his historic feat, Al-Kathiri dedicated his medal to Sheikh Mohamed bin