Between 2017 and 2019, Rafigaev established himself as one of the most decorated competitors on the European BJJ scene, accumulating titles across multiple countries and organizations in a sustained run of competitive dominance.
ADCC European Trials and International Validation
His 2018 victory at the ADCC European Trials stands as one of the most significant results of this period, earning him qualification to the world's most prestigious no-gi grappling event and affirming his place among Europe's elite. That same year, Rafigaev claimed gold at the 2018 IBJJF European Open and the IBJJF Masters European Open, while adding no-gi European Open gold and a title at the ACBJJ European Championship to an already impressive résumé.
A Pan-European Champion
His competitive footprint across the continent was extensive: titles in Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland across 2017, 2018, and 2019 — from the IBJJF German Nationals to the IBJJF Rome Open and the IBJJF Poznan Open — made Rafigaev a genuinely pan-European champion. Throughout this dominant stretch, his submission-first philosophy remained the constant thread, a testament to the technical identity forged under Fernando Araújo at Jungle BJJ.