PH jiujitsu star Ochoa pockets silver in Abu Dhabi tilt

Grappler Margarita Ochoa again added a precious item in her trophy room after capturing a silver medal in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiujitsu Championship on Wednesday night.

Just last month, the 27-year-old world champion brought home a gold medal in another global-level tournament held in London, validating her abilities as a surefire winner in the coming Asian Games in Indonesia.

Though Ochoa lost to a more experienced Brenda Larissa of Brazil, 5-22, in the finals of the women’s 49kg purple belt division, the top Filipino jiujitsu ace proved worthy enough to topple the world’s best in her weight class.

“I fell short in my finals match against a very tough opponent. I committed some mistakes, and I’m already very excited to make the necessary adjustments in my game,’’ said Ochoa, also a gold medalist in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan.

The three-time Brazilian jiujitsu world champ eliminated Neda Khezerian of Sweden, 20-5, in the semifinals after handily defeating Shouq Aldhanhani of host United Arab Emirates, 18-5, in her opening bout.

“Still, I am absolutely grateful for the lessons learned and for an injury-free competition,’’ said Ochoa.

Ochoa also expressed gratitude to Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez and corporate backers NLEX and Under Armour for supporting her Abu Dhabi stint.

Jessica Dantas of Brazil overwhelmed Khezerian, 21-5, in the bronze-medal match.