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Ali Monfaradi, Bahrain’s leading ju-jitsu athlete and its first and only World Champion, is set to compete in London, UK, the final stop of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tour next weekend.
During the men’s black belt category, Monfaradi, the only person from Bahrain who fights at that level, will be competing in four to five bouts, depending on the bracket. Muhammad Alnajjar will be competing in the blue belt category.
The 26-year old Bahraini noted during an interview with GulfWeekly: “It is humbling to have competed in so many different international competitions. Not only do I represent the kingdom at these competitions, I am also trying to be an ambassador of ju-jitsu to people within Bahrain.
“Since I started when I was 12, the scene has changed dramatically. There is a lot more awareness and education about martial arts. And people have started to believe more in Bahraini athletes competing and achieving at an international level.”
Monfaradi went on to compete at the 2011 International Brazilian Ju-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Championship with a blue belt, securing third place in his first global event.
Immediately after this, 17-year-old Monfaradi moved to São Paulo, Brazil, where his days were filled with ju-jitsu training, learning Portuguese and a university education in Computer Science.
While training under Fábio Gurgel in Brazil, Monfaradi won first place at the 2012 IBJJF World and Pan Championships as a blue belt, and returned home in 2015 as a brown belt.
He continued his training, while staying in contact with Gurgel and became the 99th black belt promoted by Master Gurgel in July 2017. The next year, he went on to become Bahrain’s first and only ju-jitsu world champion at the Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) World Ju-Jitsu Championship. Over his career, he has won almost 160 medals.
He added: “I would like to train to win the World Professional Championship at the Black Belt level. It is the most prestigious and difficult competition in Ju-Jitsu, but I think I can do it.
“Ju-Jitsu is not just about competing at the highest levels. It’s also an exercise for the body and mind. I hope to inspire and help more people take it up as a sport in Bahrain and hopefully have more black belts and world champions in the future.”
