The AIGA Champions League Astana Qualifier 2024 took place on December 7th and 8th, 2024 and the final invite to the grand finale was won in the results. There were some excellent teams competing in the event but in the end it was a pretty convincing victory by one of them. Al Leone were the early favorites and they made good on that promise in the group stage, winning both their matches 7-0 and booking their place in the final. The other group was a little closer, with Battle Force and Universal Fighters both winning their first matches 6-1 before meeting one another in a tough battle.
Universal Fighters went 3-0 down to start their match with Battle Force but they rallied brilliant and won the next 4 in a row to earn the right to face Al Leone. Things started out well for Universal Fighters at first too, as they won the first 2 matches against Al Leone and looked like they might go all the way. Al Leone rallied with 4 straight submission wins though and as the final Universal Fighter competitor was injured, they technically won the final 5-2. Al Leone have now booked their place in the AIGA Champions League finals in 2025 and they join several other elite teams in the lineup.
There were a few stars who helped drive Al Leone to success; most notably Owen Jones, Daiki Yonekura, and Kenta Iwamoto. All three of them won 3 matches by submission and they collectively started the team’s comeback against Universal Fighters in the final. It was PJ Barch who brought it home in the final match of the night and although he only had two matches, he won both of them by submission. Daniel Schuardt also won both of his matches by submission, although the most impressive finishes of the weekend came from his teammate Jozef Chen and Gagan Team’s Ernaz Musabek; who won with an omoplata and a smother from the bottom respectively.
AIGA Champions League Astana Qualifier 2024 Full Results
Group A
Al Leone vs Team Italia 2.0
Daiki Yonekura defeats Stefano Bui via Submission – Aoki Lock
Alikhan Igembek defeats Stefano Bernardi via Submission – Armbar
Owen Jones defeats Alessio Sachetti via Submission – Estima lock
Daniel Schuardt defeats Edoardo Cristilli via Submission – Heel Hook
PJ Barch defeats Christian Frillici via Submission – Aoki Lock
Lucas Kanard defeats Antonio Saltups via Submission – Heel Hook
Kenta Iwamoto defeats Manuel Pirazzini via Submission – Armbar
Al Leone defeats Team Italia 2.0 7-0
Al Leone vs Brothers Team
Kenta Iwamoto defeats Brendo Babilonia via Submission – Arm-triangle Choke
Owen Jones defeats Goncalves Junior via Submission – Toehold
Jozef Chen defeats Vladislav Buinitskiy via Submission – Omoplata
Kaya Rudolph defeats Vitor Goncalves via Submission – Heel Hook
Daniel Schuardt defeats Ramazan Abdrakimov via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Alikhan Igambek defeats Jose Ferreira via Submission – Kneebar
Daiki Yonekura defeats Breno Peterson via Submission – Ankle-lock
Al Leone defeats BJJ Cria 7-0
Brothers Team vs Team Italia 2.0
Breno Peterson defeats Stefano Bui via Decision – Points
Erisson Nunes defeats Alessio Sachetti via Decision – Points
Stefano Bernardi defeats Jose Ferreira via Submission – Arm-triangle Choke
Edoardo Cristilli defeats Ramazan Abdrakimov via Decision – Points
Christian Frillici defeats Vladislav Biunitskiy via Submission – Heel Hook
Antonio Saltups defeats Vitor Goncalves via Decision – Points
Brendon Babilonia defeats Manuel Pirazzini via Decision – Points
Team Italia 2.0 defeats Brothers Team 4-3
Group B
Gagan Team vs Battle Force
Bekza Kapashov defeats Ularbek Abdiev via Decision – Points
Sejlhan Bolatbek defeats Temirlan Khalidolla via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Maksat Muratuly defeats Nazim Makhmedov via Decision – Points
Anton Dmitrakov defeats Rassul Khatayev via Decision – Points
Alibi Orazbek defeats Sarsen Akylbekov via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Magzhan Maratkhan defeats Ilyas Abdullaev via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Toktor Zhuzup Uuli defeats Aldiyar Serik via Submission – Kneebar
Battle Force defeats Gagan Team 6-1
Gagan Team vs Ultimate Fighters 1
Ruslan Radzhabkhanov defeats Taalaibek Baiyshev via Submission – Guillotine
Gazimagomed Gaziev defeats Darkhan Yerenbayev via Submission – Guillotine
Magomed Abdulkadirov defeats Ramazan Karakoz via Submission – Armbar
Gasan Temeev defeats Dias Kanaibekov via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Ernaz Musabek defeats Saadulev Ramazan via Submission – Smother Choke
Ruslan Abdulaev defeats Ruslan Askarov via Submission – Armbar
Abdudzhalil Adilov defeats Olzhas Dossymzhan via Submission – Arm-triangle Choke
Universal Fighters defeats Gagan Team 6-1
Battle Force vs Ultimate Fighters
Samat Aitpanbet defeats Magomedbek Temeev via Decision – Judge’s Decision
Nurbek Talbudin defeats Gasan Temeev via Decision – Points
Bekza Kapashov defeats Zaur Ahmedov via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Ruslan Abdulaev defeats Anton Dmitrakov via Submission – Anaconda Choke
Gazimagomed Gaziev defeats Sejlhan Bolatbek via Decision – Judge’s Decision
Abdudzhalil Adilov defeats Islam Mamilov via Decision – Points
Magomed Abdulkadirov defeats Alibi Orazbek via Decision – Points
Universal Fighters defeats Battle Force 4-3
Final
Al Leone vs Universal Fighters
Akhmedov Zaur defeats Alikhan Igembek via Submission – D’arce Choke
Ruslan Abdulaev defeats Declan Moody via Decision – Points
Kenta Iwamoto defeats Gazimagomed Gaziev via Submission – Heel Hook
Owen Jones defeats Gasan Temeev via Submission – Heel Hook
Daiki Yonekura defeats Magomedbek Temeev via Submission – Heel Hook
PJ Barch defeats Eldar Adilov via Submission – Kimura
Universal Fighters forfeits one match as one athlete is unable to compete
Al Leone defeats Universal Fighters 5-2 and they win the AIGA Champions League Astana Qualifier 2024!
The full AIGA Champions League Astana Qualifier 2024 event replay, including all of the above results, is available to watch on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
