The Berimbolo Kid's Match of the Week - Week 39 - Jason 'Mayhem' Miller vs. Saulo Ribeiro - 2005 Grapplers Quest North American Championships

(The previous edition can be found HERE)

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Match of the Week. This week is Jason 'Mayhem' Miller vs. Saulo Ribeiro from the 2005 Grapplers Quest North American Championships.

Jason 'Mayhem' Miller is a black belt under Rafael Cordeiro and represents Kings MMA. Jason is best known for his MMA career having fought in promotions such as the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and DREAM. He holds victories over prominent fighters such Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, and even a submission victory over Kazushi Sakuraba.

In terms of competition, Jason has no major victories to his name in the Gi, but in NoGi, he is a three time Grapplers Quest Champion (2004, 2003, 2001). His 2003 championship was the Best in the West Grapplers Quest Championship which is one of their biggest competitions. 

Over half of Jason's wins in MMA have come via submission. He seems to have a preference for both the rear naked and arm-triangle choke as I can tell from watching some of his matches and looking at his MMA record. I don't really like to use the phrase 'MMA style' but in this instance I think it fits perfectly. Jason likes to shoot for singles and doubles, and enjoys the scramble.

Jason 'Mayhem' Miller

Saulo Ribeiro is a true legend in the world of Jiu-Jitsu. He is a 4th degree black belt under Royler Gracie and is also a black belt in Judo. Saulo is the older brother of two time absolute World Champion, Xande Ribeiro. After a long and impressive career in Jiu-Jitsu, Saulo was inducted into the IBJJF Hall of Fame in 2012. 

It’s no surprise to find out that Saulo has won numerous major titles throughout his long career in our sport. He is a five time World Champion (2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997), a four time World Masters and Seniors Champion (2013 weight & absolute, 2012 weight & absolute), a three time Brazilian National Champion (1998 weight & absolute, 1996), a two time ADCC (2003, 2000) and Pan American Champion (1998 weight & absolute), and a one-time World NoGi Champion (2008). 

Having a black belt in Judo, it’s not really a surprise that Saulo is known for his throws and takedowns. One takedown he uses frequently throughout his matches is the Kouchi Gari, but he also uses both single and double leg takedowns, especially in NoGi. For the most part, Saulo is a top player. Obviously, at the level that he is, his guard is very good also, but he seems to prefer the top game. The choke from the mount is a favourite submission of Saulo's.

Saulo Ribeiro

I actually only stumbled across this match a few days ago. I like enough to make it this week’s match. I was honestly surprised on how good Jason did against a veteran such as Saulo. It wasn't even one sided, it back and forth. At the end, Jason is even close to taking Saulo's back.  

There is actually very little footage of this match, and as far as I am aware this is only the recording which exists. It is not the entire match, but instead is an edited version by Grapplers Quest which shows all the action in the match and cuts out all the filler. Also, the link I provide for mobile viewers is not a YouTube link but instead is a link to a Facebook video. 

The video of the match can be found below! I hope you guys enjoy!

See you next week!

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