AJP Tour Panama
Panama City just proved it belongs on the global grappling map. This past Monday, October 12, the AJP Tour Panama National Jiu-Jitsu Championship took over the Centro de Entrenamiento Atheyna Bylon for a full day of Gi and No-Gi action. The road here wasn’t easy—organizers had to reschedule the whole thing after a national emergency, and registration had been open way back since December 2025. Still, when the mats finally rolled out, more than 200 athletes from 13 countries showed up ready to scrap.
Who Showed Up and Who Took Home the Gold
What makes AJP events great is how wide they open the doors. You had kids and first-time white belts warming up in the same venue as seasoned masters and battle-tested black belts. After a long Sunday weigh-in window—plus a tight one-hour check-in right before the 2:00 PM start time on Monday—the brackets got moving fast. By the end of the night, the local crowd had plenty to cheer about as Panama took the top spot in the overall country standings.
On the academy side, GFTeam pulled ahead to win the team trophy, with Shiaikan and Serpente right on their heels. Walking away with the Best Academy title also meant pocketing a $1,000 prize, a bonus reserved for teams bringing at least 20 competitors to the fight.
Chasing Points in the 2025–2026 Season
Pride and medals aren’t the only things on the line here. Grabbing gold at a national championship puts 1,000 points straight into an athlete’s AJP ranking. Because the league designed the system to reward grapplers who stay active and travel, every match counts. The current 12-month season started back on November 23, 2025, and only a competitor’s best seven tournaments make the final cut—though they can tack on an eighth score from the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam and a ninth from the 18th World Pro. After seeing the grit inside the arena this week, one question is left hanging in the air: is Panama officially Central America’s next jiu-jitsu powerhouse?
Congratulations to all the winners!!
