Uanderson Ferreira won the middleweight gold, becoming King of the Mats ©AJP

Brazil's Uanderson Ferreira claimed the middleweight title of King of the Mats on the first of two days of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, the latest leg of the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP) Tour, here at the Copper Box Arena in London.

The event was the latest leg of the AJP Tour for the 2021-2022 season.

In the semi-finals, Ferreira defeated his team-mate Natan Chueng 2-1 with a score in the final moments to progress.

Chueng was level after conceding a penalty, but the dramatic last-gasp point put Ferreira in the fight for gold.

Tommy Lilleskog Langaker's bout against Brazil's Lucas Nascimento was more straightforward, with the result finishing 3-0 in the Norwegian's favour.

Ferreira and Langaker drew 1-1 in the final, but the Brazilian claimed the win by golden score, which is awarded to the athlete who scores last.

Chueng took the bronze against Nascimento by decision after the score finished pointless after the allocated five minutes.

The King of the Mats competition featured top professionals in the men's under-85 kilogram category, with Brazilian Guilherme Rocha and American Nathan Mendelsohn also featuring, but failing to make the final four.

Masters and youth athletes competed on the first day of the AJP Tour leg of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in London ©AJP
Masters and youth athletes competed on the first day of the AJP Tour leg of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in London ©AJP

Earlier in the day there were several world titles awarded in youth and masters competitions.

Britain topped the medal table in the youth categories with seven gold medals, with the United Arab Emirates being next closest with four.

The hosts also finished top of the rankings on the first day with 19 golds, 21 silvers and 13 bronzes.

Brazil were followed by Poland and Spain.