A virtual unknown purple belt fighter 1 year ago, Keenan Cornelius (brown belt) will be competing against the big boys in Copa Podio in January: Rodolfo, Xande, Leo Nogueira etc..
In the words of his coach Lloy Irvin:
“2 years ago no one knew who he was, he wasn’t winning anything, then in 2012 he became the first person to double grand slam ever and next month he will be competing against some of the absolute best black belts in BJJ today! Who else goes from not winning any purple belt tournaments to competing against Rodolfo Vieira & Xande in 2 years. Keenan has been added to the BIG BOY tournament.”
Keenan will be a member of the yellow team. This tournament is designed for heavyweights so will mean that Keenan will be undersized as he was recntly competing as a middleweight and just recently bulked up to middle heavy.
Keenan is used to fighting bigger opponents as he always competes and wins in the Absolute divisions. He recently won the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Pro Cup Trials in New York back in October at -92kgs brown and black belts beating Roberto Tussa Alencar and also pacing third in the heacy absolute.
Interview with Keenan: https://www.bjjee.com/interview/keenan-cornelius-on-training-with-bj-penn-his-training-mentality-his-goals-for-the-future/
To know more about the Copa Podio taking place January 13, please visit: www.copapodio.com
