Grand Slam Shanghai: Goteu, Diana Teixeira, Neves Take Gold
Commando Group wins four men’s black belt golds, Brazilian-born athletes take 11 of 12 elite titles and the Grand Slam closes 2026 in China
The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in Shanghai closed the AJP’s 2026 calendar with three black belt stories worth following. At the October 17 and 18 event in China, Jefferson Goteu kept Commando Group on top, Diana Teixeira added another gold to an already long list, and 23-year-old Leonardo Neves won lightweight.
The event drew about 1,300 athletes from 50 countries, including 150 black belts. At the elite level, Brazilian-born athletes dominated: of the 12 men’s and women’s titles, only one went to someone born outside Brazil, Russia’s Vladimir Blium at light heavyweight.
The Grand Slam is the main tour of the AJP, the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu federation. If you want to know how it compares with other organizations, check out our guide to Jiu-Jitsu federations.
Jefferson Goteu keeps Commando Group on top
Jefferson Goteu arrived in Shanghai as the AJP’s No. 1 ranked athlete at 77 kg and left China with welterweight gold. He finished ahead of Bruno de Souza de Araujo of The Real Freedom Jiu Jitsu School, while teammate Thiago Marques took bronze.
The win fits his story. Born in Natal, in northeastern Brazil, in December 2001, Goteu started training at 13 and won his first tournament about three months later. As a blue belt he joined brothers Thiago and Bruno Barreto, and by 15 he was already representing Commando Group on the AJP circuit.
His road to black belt was full of titles. He won the IBJJF World Championship at purple belt in 2022, won the World Pro in Abu Dhabi at purple and brown, and finished 2023 ranked No. 1 among AJP brown belts. The Barreto brothers gave him his black belt in November of that year, right after his World Pro run.
As a black belt, Goteu had already won the 2024 Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro and the IBJJF Asian Championship. His Shanghai gold comes one month before the World Pro, a tournament that always has a spot on his calendar. In an exclusive interview with VF Comunica earlier in October, he explained why.
“The World Pro is among the biggest competitions in Jiu-Jitsu. I will always prioritize this competition because, besides being a world title, it is a very meaningful title and a very hard one to win,” he said.
Diana Teixeira adds another Grand Slam gold
In the women’s professional division, which combines brown and black belts at the Grand Slam, Diana Teixeira won roosterweight (49 kg). The Atos athlete finished ahead of GFTeam’s Grasielle Brandao, with Maria Eduarda Silva of BJS Qatar in third.
Anyone who follows the AJP knows her name. Born in Manaus, in the Amazon region of Brazil, in June 2001, Diana has been a black belt since May 2022 and has been a regular on top of the podium ever since. In 2024 alone, she won five Grand Slam golds, in Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Dallas.
Her specialty is passing the guard from the outside, the game that made her the athlete to beat in the AJP rankings at 49 kg in 2024. Her Shanghai gold also comes one month before the World Pro, where she won bronze in 2024. Back then, she told VF Comunica what that medal meant to her.
“I’ve fought the World Pro three times and this is the first time I’m coming home with a medal,” she said.
Leonardo Neves wins lightweight at 23
Lightweight gold (69 kg) went to Leonardo Neves of GFTeam. He finished ahead of Russia’s Iaroslav Rymashevkii of Abdullaev Team, with Commando’s Giovanny Nascimento in third.
Neves was born in Rio de Janeiro in February 2003, grew up in the beach town of Saquarema and competes under the Portuguese flag in AJP results. His nickname, Leozinho, has a story behind it: his father, Richard Neves, also a black belt, named him after grappler Leonardo “Leozinho” Vieira, whom he admired.
Taught by Renato “Perninha” Veras and by his father, he trained at GFTeam’s Rio headquarters under Julio Cesar Pereira from age 15. As a teen he won the IBJJF Juvenile European Championship in his weight and in the open class, and at brown belt he won three AJP Grand Slams, in Abu Dhabi, London and Istanbul.
He got his black belt in July 2024. The next year he moved to London and came close at the 2025 Grand Slam in Istanbul, taking silver after losing the final to Joao Mendes. In Shanghai, the gold came. A submission hunter, Neves’ favorite finish is the Ezekiel choke.
The other black belt champions
Commando Group won three more men’s golds. Welison Fernandes took 56 kg ahead of China’s Tianle Zhang. Felipe Fernandes won 62 kg, with Bruno Borges of Abu Dhabi Police Academy in second. At 120 kg, Guilherme Gomes took gold, with Russia’s Umar Gaisumov second and Felipe Bezerra third.
Lucas Protasio of Al Wahda Club won middleweight (85 kg), with Russia’s Iurii Kuznetsov of Commando in second. At light heavyweight (94 kg), Vladimir Blium of Gojira Jiu-Jitsu finished ahead of Brazil’s Clemer Canario of BJS Qatar.
On the women’s side, Gabriela Pereira of Brothers Club won 55 kg. Maria Luisa Delahaye of GFTeam took 62 kg, with Commando’s Kamilla Souza in second. Sabatha Santos of M.O.D UAE won 70 kg ahead of Hungary’s Tamara Toros, and Patricia da Rocha of HBZ Team won 95 kg, with Mongolia’s Sugar Myagmar in second.
Grand Slam Shanghai 2026: full list of champions
Men’s black belt
- Up to 56 kg: Welison Fernandes (Commando Group)
- Up to 62 kg: Felipe Fernandes (Commando Group)
- Up to 69 kg: Leonardo Neves (GFTeam)
- Up to 77 kg: Jefferson Goteu (Commando Group)
- Up to 85 kg: Lucas Protasio (Al Wahda Club)
- Up to 94 kg: Vladimir Blium (Gojira Jiu-Jitsu)
- Up to 120 kg: Guilherme Gomes (Commando Group)
Women’s professional (brown and black belt)
- Up to 49 kg: Diana Teixeira (Atos)
- Up to 55 kg: Gabriela Pereira (Brothers Club)
- Up to 62 kg: Maria Luisa Delahaye (GFTeam)
- Up to 70 kg: Sabatha Santos (M.O.D UAE)
- Up to 95 kg: Patricia da Rocha (HBZ Team)
In the team standings, Commando Group finished second overall.
Grand Slam Shanghai: frequently asked questions
Who won black belt gold at Grand Slam Shanghai 2026?
Men: Welison Fernandes, Felipe Fernandes, Leonardo Neves, Jefferson Goteu, Lucas Protasio, Vladimir Blium and Guilherme Gomes. Women: Diana Teixeira, Gabriela Pereira, Maria Luisa Delahaye, Sabatha Santos and Patricia da Rocha.
When and where was Grand Slam Shanghai?
October 17 and 18, 2026, in Shanghai, China. It was the last Abu Dhabi Grand Slam of the year.
Which team won the most men’s black belt golds?
Commando Group, with four of seven: Welison Fernandes, Felipe Fernandes, Jefferson Goteu and Guilherme Gomes.
When is the next AJP Grand Slam?
Rome, February 12 to 14, 2027. Before that, the AJP holds the World Pro in Abu Dhabi, November 19 to 21, 2026.
Next stop: World Pro in Abu Dhabi
Shanghai closed the Grand Slam year, and the tour returns in February in Rome. Until then, all eyes turn to the World Pro, the AJP’s World Professional Championship, November 19 to 21 at Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Are Goteu, Diana and Neves the favorites heading to Abu Dhabi? Let us know in the comments.
Read also:
- Jefferson Goteu: “The World Pro is among the biggest competitions in Jiu-Jitsu”
- Lucas Protasio says the World Pro is special because it brings together the best athletes in the world
- IBJJF, CBJJ, AJP and ADCC: what is the difference between Jiu-Jitsu federations
