(Last week’s edition can be found HERE)
Welcome
to the tenth edition of Match of the Week!
Today, the
match I will be sharing with you is Paulo Miyao vs. Travis Stevens. This match
was the bronze medal match from the 2013 Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix,
which took place on September 8, 2013 at the legendary Tijuca Tênis Clube.
If you follow Jiu-Jitsu, I'm pretty sure you would
have heard of Paulo Miyao. Him and his brother, João (typically referred to as the Miyao brothers) have been phenoms in the
Jiu-Jitsu world since blue belt. They have virtually won every major title at the lower belts and been on
the podium of every absolute division.
Paulo is known for his intense rivalry with Keenan Cornelius.
He suffered multiple consecutive losses against Cornelius throughout
the purple and brown belt level before finally defeating him in the absolute
final of the 2013 World Championships.
The one thing Paulo is known for is his berimbolo. He
literally uses it in all of his matches. He also utilises many other
"modern" Jiu-Jitsu techniques such as the 50/50 guard and reverse de
la riva. In his matches, his main objective is to somehow take
his opponents back using his slick guard skills.
 |
| Paulo Miyao |
Travis Stevens is a black belt under John Danaher and fights
for the Renzo Gracie Academy. Even though he is a tremendous competitor in
Jiu-Jitsu, he's probably best known for his Judo background. He has medalled
twice at the Pan American Championships and took 4th place at the 2012 Summer
Olympics. He is currently ranked in the top 5 in the world in Judo and is
considered by many to be the greatest American Judo practitioner
ever.
Obviously, Travis is known for
his aggressive throws and takedowns in Jiu-Jitsu. In the majority of
his matches, he looks to immediately take his opponent down and
pass his guard. One thing about Travis is he is very aggressive and
always tries to keep the pace of the match high. There is very little
stalling in his matches.
 |
| Travis Stevens Source: Copa Podio |
This match sticks out in particular for
me personally from the entire Grand Prix. It’s probably my
favourite.
Travis is in no way intimated by Miyao's guard and at one
point even manages to almost take his back! WOW! But, Miyao makes the
match no walk in the park with his tricky guard work. Actually, the
match is very close and could have gone either way. However, I think the right
person won the match at the end of the day. Let me know if you disagree.
The video of the match can be found below. I hope you guys
enjoy!
See you next week!
(If you are viewing on a mobile device, please click HERE)
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