The 2025 Compete Internationals, held from February 21-23 at the Ontario California Convention Center, once again delivered a weekend of elite sport martial arts action. Organized by Mohamad and Amanda Jahan-vash and their family, the event is truly a labor of love. Their children—Ava, Shahin, and Alec—played major roles in running the event, with Shahin serving as a commentator for the finals, Ava taking center stage as the finals MC, and Alec competing in the finals himself. The event ran smoothly, featured incredible performances, and cemented itself as a standout tournament on the West Coast.
You can watch the finals on YouTube at this link: 2025 Compete Internationals Finals
Friday Night Featured Some Greats
Friday night’s competition was full of high-energy matchups, particularly in open weight and team sparring. Sport karate legend Raymond Daniels made a much-anticipated return, competing for Team All Stars alongside the always steady Jack Felton. Team ATL, featuring Willie Hicks and Jermond Wiggins with coach Regena Thompson, put up a strong fight, but it was Team Paul Mitchell’s Jake Mueck who stole the show in his adult debut. Mueck, who competed as a junior at the 2025 AKA Warrior Cup, used his strategic defensive side kicks to claim victory over Daniels in both open weight and teams. Although Daniels, Hicks, Wiggins, and Felton didn’t advance to the finals, their performances proved that executive competitors are still a force to be reckoned with.
Amazing Finals Performances
The forms and weapons divisions saw several AKA Warrior Cup champions continue their dominance. Dawson Holt of Team Paul Mitchell, was the winner of the men’s CMX weapons grand championship with a sword routine that had everyone talking. Judah Sagawa once again controlled the 14-17 boys’ divisions, but this time winning both overall forms and overall weapons titles after his Warrior Cup win in January. Maddy Kennaway, coming off a strong performance in Chicago where she made it to the stage, carried her momentum to California, this time with a triumph as she won the women’s traditional forms championship.
In the younger divisions, Olivia Cano won the 13 and under girls’ weapons overall title, while Lukas Dravinskas got his first chance on stage and captured the 13 and under boys’ overall forms championship. Sofia Rodriguez-Florez, overcame some obstacles like illness and a hair fiasco to add another title to her growing list, taking the 14-17 girls’ overall forms championship with a stellar traditional performance. Jake Presley, known for his precise execution, entered just one division at Compete Internationals but still walked away as the men’s overall traditional weapons grand champion. Meanwhile, Sofia Campos revitalized the soft style division with her victory in women’s traditional weapons, and Sara Campbell claimed the women’s CMX weapons title with some amazing moves.
It was exciting to see the diversity of Averi Presley as she won the 14-17 girls weapons title but this time with a traditional performance – we normally see her winning with CMX routines. In the 13 and under divisions, Amanda Duarte showed her steady and consistent skills with the win for girls’ weapons. Michael Molina and his trademark headband was stellar in 13 and under boys weapons winning both the traditional and CMX titles in the day and revving up the crowd with his high energy demo performance in the finals.
Synchronized competition delivered some exciting performances, with Ben Jones and Dawson Holt winning synchronized forms, while Jones teamed up with Esteban Tremblay to take synchronized weapons. Kaitlyn Vong, secured the women’s CMX forms title showed she is one of the top women’s creative competitors out there right now.
Sparring was just as intense as the forms and weapons divisions. Enrique Letona walked away with both the men’s lightweight sparring grand championship and the men’s open weight title, while Kameren Dawson claimed the men’s heavyweight sparring grand championship. Ki’Tana Everett dominated the women’s sparring division by winning both the open weight and overall sparring titles with a controversial fight with teammate Katarina Hermann for the overall title.
Watch the finals show from the 2025 Compete Internationals
A Great Event, A Great Family
With a combination of high-level competition, seamless event organization, and a passionate family leading the charge, the 2025 Compete Internationals stood out as one of the premier events of the year. The Jahan-vash family not only ensured the tournament ran smoothly but also played active roles in its success—Ava as MC, Shahin as commentator, and Alec competing on stage. Their dedication to the sport, along with the talent on display, made this year’s Compete Internationals a true celebration of martial arts. The road to the next major event is shaping up to be just as exciting, with these champions and rising stars looking ahead to their next challenge.
Make sure to watch the finals show live stream and hear Shahin’s commentary right here: 2025 Compete Internationals Finals Show.
