The Miyao Brothers have accomplished so much in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that it’s almost impossible to overlook their impact and actual ability on the mat.
The twins have proven time and time again as to why they are no longer bright prospects, but bright grapplers.
Today, I’ll take a closer look at one of Joao Miyao’s matches from when he took on Pedro Arruda in 2013. What we see on display is the calm demeanor of a young champion, mixed with the edge that allows Joao to be one of the best in the world.
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Calm, Methodical Plan of Attack
As we can see in the match, right from the jump, Arruda brings a fast paced attack to the table. Almost immediately, Miyao pulls guard which almost trips a censor in Arruda’s game, causing him to go from zero to sixty right off the bat.
Arruda relentlessly—almost frantically—began putting the pressure on Joao. While his opponent threatened from a few positions, and began hitting some nicely timed transitions and advances, Joao remained calm in the moment.
The sign of a truly gifted grappler is how they approach the game when the lights are on and people are watching. Even from different positions—especially from inverted positions—Joao remained in a sense of Zen, allowing him to functionally work.
For a moment, Miyao wound up in the 50/50 guard, and much like it’s name, can either end poorly or successful depending on how comfortable you are in the spot.
When Arruda threatened a leg lock, Miyao returned fire by attempting a toe hold, which in turn generated a scramble, allowing Joao to escape the 50/50 and return to his inverted plan of attack that he was previously using.
Eventually the two returned back to the 50/50, engaging in tactical leg lock warfare. I must admit, it was very fun watching some work with such focus and fire while also remaining calm in the moment. The 50/50 guard is the type of position where if you get too high or too low on yourself, it could end quickly.
A Pressured Based Top Game
Once the 50/50 became more of a stalemate, with neither grappler gaining the advantage, Miyao decided to push the pace and charged forward onto his opponent and pass into a dominant position. By being able to take his free leg and using it as a base, Joao booted his left leg, placed it on the mat and came up onto it.
With one knee on the mat, Miyao was able to work from a more desirable position. Working quickly, Miyao was able to free his leg and work his way nicely into side control. From here, Miyao was able to stay tight to his opponent, allowing him to dominate from the position even without having to do much of anything.
For a brief moment, Arruda attempted to escape out the back, allowing Joao to place his knee on his belly. From here, Joao was able to step over Arruda’s head and begin working for the armbar.
Despite meeting some resistance and a stingy armbar defense, Joao was resilient and wound up finding the right amount of leverage to secure the submission victory.
Dan Faggella
