Amal Amjahid, Rudson Mateus, DJ Jackson, Tomoyuki Hashimoto, and Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro were among the big winners at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in Tokyo. 

Amjahid made her black belt debut in style by beating World Pro silver medalist Livia Gluchowska via armbar in the final. The Belgian grappler stated she intends to compete in the Grand Slam circuit but the trip to Los Angeles is dependent on her still-unresolved visa situation. Prior to the IBJJF World Championsips Amjahid's stepfather, Khalid Houry, was denied permission to travel to the USA while connecting in London, and Amjahid refused to travel without him. Applying through the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, they are awaiting a decision on obtaining 10-year travel visas to the States. “Really, really happy,” she said. “My first tournament as a black belt, it was what I hoped.”  

Rudson Mateus suffered through an errant knee to the face in his opening match and, immediately after his first match with Nicholas Penzer, later vomiting and stomach issues to claim the 94kg title, beating Arya Esfandmaz in the final. Mateus utilized his sneaky 50-50 armbar to finish Penzer. His strong closed guard came out during the final as Mateus used his trademark sweeps to go 9-0 against Esfandmaz. "Kaynan (Duarte) didn't come, maybe if he'd been here but would have been much harder. Maybe I'll fight with him next time at the Grand Slam in LA. I'm happy with the medal but I don't feel good with my performance on the mat. I'm going back to the USA to train hard for my next event." 

DJ Jackson had a strong showing with two submissions and a decisive points win to claim the 85kg title. Jackson flew straight from South Korea where, in his own words, he had been in a disappointing match with Craig Jones. Jackson came out motivated and submitted Takagi Shota with a choke, Alan Fidelis with an armbar and then beat Bradley Hill 5-0, opening the match with a nice takedown. "I kind of get lazy and let people pull because my guard passing is so good but I was like, I got to stop doing that– it's an easy two points I've got to start taking again." 

Tokyo-Based Tomoyuki Hashimoto of Carpe Diem was number one at 62kg, beating the tough new black belt Gabriel Sousa in the final. Hashimoto's early matches in the bracket were quick affairs and he looked close to finishing the contest against Sousa with a triangle. The Brazilian gritted his way out and Hashimoto eventually went on to win 0-0, 2-1 adv. Hashimoto had this to say: “I’m very happy I can show my jiu-jitsu. The final match was very hard but I’m very happy for a hard opponent.” 

Diego Ramalho fought through a tough 77kg bracket to become champ in Tokyo, beating Kleber Koike by advantage in the final via advantage. Ramalho– who beat Jake Mackenzie in another hard-fought match earlier in the day– intends to invest in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam season with Los Angeles next up in September. 

Samantha Cook won 70kg gold by beating two-time World champion Claudia do Val via decision. The British black belt says she'll use the money to travel to fund her upcoming travel plans. "A pretty good start to the season, a lot of memories too, I've had a fantastic time in Tokyo. It's been an amazing experience and this is just a bonus to top off the trip.” 

Brown belt Gabrieli Pessanha looked incredible as she won gold in the combined 90kg brown-black belt division. The newly promoted brown belt had an incredible career as a purple belt and in her first appearance as a brown belt looked untouchable asking up double-figure points against seasoned opponents Jessica Andrade da Silva and Shantelle Thompson. “I was really nervous, should I fight or not? I received the opportunity to fight but I was kind of scared, was I ready? Brown belts in with black belts, but thanks God the right people motivated me that win or lose it would help me grow as a person. And it worked out.” 

Mayssa Bastos and Larissa Paes were both crowned champions after going undefeated in round-robin brackets, being crowned 49kg and 62kg brown-black belt champions respectively. 

Legends match: Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro wins in Tokyo

Legendary jiu-jitsu champion and MMA fighter Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro had his hands full with tough Japanese opponent Daisuke Shiraki. Shaolin’s use of butterfly and half guard looked like it would earn him points for a reversal but Shiraki stayed on top throughout. The match was decided via one penalty with Shaolin declared winner. 

Click here for matches from the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tokyo