On April 26, Kurdish fighter Farshad Gardakaneh rose to the top of the +90-kg division at the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Championship in Brussels, winning the official championship belt.

“This is a very special moment for me – my first time becoming a NAGA champion,” he posted on X.

“On April 26, 2026, I competed at the NAGA International Tournament in Brussels, in the No-Gi Expert division (90-99.9kg), and I won the gold medal and the championship belt,” Gardakaneh told Kurdistan Chronicle.

“The level was really strong. One of my opponents, Sofiane Aissaoui, has professional MMA experience and has fought in events like PFL Europe, with a solid grappling background.”

Gardakaneh lives in Belgium, and was crowned the European champion in the 94-kg division at the 2025 European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship held in Lisbon, Portugal, on January 20.

“In the final, I faced Patrick Meisgeier from Germany. He’s a very experienced Brazilian jiu-jitsu][ athlete – brown belt, European-level medalist, and he has competed in major tournaments like IBJJF No-Gi Worlds,” he added.

Read More: Kurdish Fighter Wins European Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship

“I won the final 5-0. I controlled the match and didn’t give him a chance to play his game. For me, this win is important because of the level of the opponents and the way I performed. It’s my first NAGA belt, and just the beginning,” he concluded.