The word epic gets thrown around pretty freely (guilty as charged), but it’s safe to say that 2017 was truly, freaking epic. 

If you haven't been keeping up with our end-of-year awards, you’ve been missing out — check them out now.

With that said, one promotion’s season isn’t ending on Dec. 31 — it’s just hitting its stride. 

The UAEJJF 2017-2018 Jiu-Jitsu World Tour began at the conclusion of the 2017 Abu Dhabi World Pro back in April earlier this year. 

Since then we’ve seen three Grand Slam events: Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Rio De Janeiro, as well as numerous Continental, National, and Regional Pro Championships. 

All of these contribute to the overall rankings which lead to the grand prize of $25,000 for the top-ranked black belt.

Isaque Bahiense tries to slip by Thiago Sa's Guard At the Rio Grand Slam. Photo: Vitor Freitas / FloGrappling

At 200 points for gold, Grand Slam events' ranking points are valued only second to World Pro, meaning medals at these events are pivotal to securing the top position. 

The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam goes down January 12-13 and is a critical junction for the season's overall standings.

Current Top 3 UAEJJF Black Belts

       1. Igor Silva - 980 points

       2. Adam Wardzinski - 860 points

       3. Isaac Bahiense - 400 points

       3. Eldar Rafigaev - 400 points

       3. Jose Lima - 400 points

What this means

Igor Silva and Adam Wardzinski are neck and neck for the top-ranked position, but it’s not exactly a lock — IF other Silva in the 300-400 range decide to compete at the next two Grand Slams. 

Isaque Bahiense, currently standing at 400 points, would need to take gold in Abu Dhabi and London to put himself in contention for the season title (he’d need to medal at World Pro as well). 

The same story goes for athletes such as Joao Miyao, Jaime Canuto, and Patrick Gaudio, who are all hovering around the 300s.

These scenarios also require that Silva and Silva have poor performances over the next several UAEJJF Events — an unlikely proposition but not impossible. 

Notable names signed up for 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam

• Igor Silva
• Adam Wardzinski
• Isaque Bahiense
• Jose Lima
• Alexandre Vieira
• Tiago Bravo
• Jaime Canuto
• Patrick Gaudio
• Rodrigo Cardoso

Final takeaways

Though the first-place ranking seems out of reach for most of the competition, the UAEJJF Grand Slam events are absolutely worth entering on there own accord. 

First place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam nets the winner $3,750. While not announced yet, the cash prize at World Pro should be substantially higher. Not bad... 

We're excited to see the race to the finish line as the UAEJJF 2017-18 Jiu-Jitsu World Tour enters its final leg of competition. Stay tuned for a full preview of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam coming soon.

WATCH: Adam Wardzinski vs. Xande Ribeiro - 2017 Rio Grand Slam

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