UAEJJF Rankings Update: Who's On Top, What's At Stake
UAEJJF Rankings Update: Who's On Top, What's At Stake
Understanding how the UAEJJF ranking works is important for two reasons: the end-of-season cash prize and the qualifying requirements.
The 2017-18 UAEJJF season is nearing its conclusion, and understanding how the organization's rankings system works is more important than ever for competitors.
The rankings not only decide who earns a $25,000 prize (for male black belts) at the end of the season but also which athletes automatically qualify for the 2018 Abu Dhabi World Pro later this month.
The season finale competition, which takes place April 24-28 in Abu Dhabi, limits each weight division to two athletes of the same nationality.
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The athlete with the highest ranking will get automatically placed in the division, whereas any other competitors from that country who want to compete must first fight each other in a mini-tournament known as the "country qualifier."
Photo: UAEJJF
Athletes from all over the planet are flying to compete in the 10th annual World Pro tournament, including Romulo Barral, Edwin Najmi, Felipe Pena, Mahamed Aly, Espen Mathiesen, Joao Miyao, and Patrick Gaudio as well as returning champions Claudio Calasans, Gianni Grippo, Ana Carolina Vieira, and more.
Let's take a quick look at the rankings.
UAEJJF 2018 Male Adult Black Belt Rankings
| 1 | Igor Silva | 2,040 |
| 2 | Adam Wardzinski | 1,620 |
| 3 | Jose Lima | 1,260 |
| 4 | Hiago George | 1,160 |
| 5 | Helton Silva Junior | 980 |
| 6 | Isaque Bahiense | 900 |
| 7 | Jorge Nakamura | 800 |
| 8 | Jaime Canuto | 760 |
| 9 | Charles Santos | 740 |
| 10 | Alexandre Vieira | 730 |
UAEJJF 2018 Female Adult Brown-Black Belt Rankings
| 1 | Larissa Paes | 1,680 |
| 2 | Thamara Silva | 1,060 |
| 3 | Mayssa Bastos | 940 |
| 4 | Amanda Nogueira | 860 |
| 5 | Nathiely de Jesus | 640 |
| 6 | Ana Carolina Vieira | 600 |
| 7 | Jessica Andrade | 580 |
| 8 | Nadia Melo | 460 |
| 9 | Priscilla Cerqueira | 450 |
| 10 | Livia Gluchowska | 400 |
Another important reason to get ranked is that the UAEJJF no longer holds trials events that offer travel packages. Instead, the top two highest-ranked athletes from each continent get their full travel packages paid for. They are:
Africa
Male
1. Adolfo Correia, 300
1. Ruben Lemos, 300
Female
1. Sheena O-Connell, 80
2. Su-Marie Calitz, 50
Asia
Male
1. Youngam Noh, 640
2. Joao Carlos Kuraoka, 600
Female
1. Maiko Kurogi, 200
2. Rana Qubbaj, 160
Europe
Male
1. Adam Wardzinski, 1,620
2. Antonio Junior, 540
Female
1. Charlotte Von Baumgarten, 400
2. Samantha Cook, 360
North America
Male
1. Matthew Leighton, 520
2. Jon Satava, 380
Female
1. Erin Herle, 280
2. Itzel Aguilar, 180
Oceania
Male
1. Lachlan Giles, 500
2. Ben Hodgkinson, 420
Female
1. Livia Gluchowska, 400
2. Shantelle Thompson, 320
South America
Male
1. Igor Silva, 2,040
2. Jose Lima, 1,260
Female
1. Larissa Paes, 1,680
2. Thamara Silva, 1,060