Filipina standouts Kimberly Custodio and Annie Ramirez successfully defended their respective world titles at the 2026 JJIF World Jiujitsu Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Custodio, a proud native of Oton, Iloilo, captured her fourth JJIF World Championship after dominating the women’s -45kg division. She capped another stellar campaign by defeating host UAE’s Mariam Alali in the final.
Fellow Filipina Eliecha Malilay claimed the bronze.
Meanwhile, Ramirez continued her remarkable run in the women’s -57kg class, posting a 9-2 victory over Diana Lomei of Ukraine to become a back-to-back world champion.
Adding to the Philippines’ strong opening-day haul were Jenna Kaila Napolis, who earned the silver medal in the women’s -52kg division; Asian Beach Games champion Alexandria Enriquez, who got a bronze in the women’s -63kg group; Melondrina Viray, who finished third in the women’s -48kg category, and Michael Bijay Cater, bronze medalist in the men’s jiujitsu fighting -56kg division.
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