Double delight for Brazilian Paulo Miyao at Jiu-Jitsu Grand Slam London

Twice beats Isaac Doederlein in finals to pick up gold medals

Paulo Miyao, in white, on his way to winning two golds in London. Courtesy UAEJJF
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Paulo Miyao completed double gold by winning both his 69kg weight in the black belt division and the King of Mats titles at the Jiu-Jitsu Grand Slam London at the weekend.

The event, the final round of the Abu Dhabi World Tour conducted by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, saw the Brazilian triumph twice against American Isaac Doederlein in finals to claim his success.

In the King of the Mats decider on Sunday he had to come from 4-2 down to prevail and he said: “It was very hard competition.

"I had to fight six different opponents in a short period of time. It’s the same for Isaac, so I’m not complaining, but it’s very tough for any fighter.

“I went into this competition with the mentality of an underdog and to win this prestigious title is really amazing.

“The toughest part was the breaks between the matches, which were short. But after the success I had, I have to say, it was really fun.”

Miyao clinched a 4-2 points result over Doederlein in Saturday's weight division final.

“I was obviously delighted winning the first gold and this rounds off a perfect season for me,” added Miyao, runner-up in the Grand Slam Los Angeles in September and winner at Abu Dhabi in January.

Doederlein was upbeat about his defeats to Miyao and hoped he could avenge them in the near future.

“Paulo is one of the best and to lose a close match against him is another learning experience for me,” he said.

“I’m heading to the Abu Dhabi World Pro next and hopefully meet Paulo again in a re-match.”

The King of Mats competition was contested by 10 fighters in two groups with the top four in the league format reaching the semi-finals.

Ricardo Evangelista, the Abu Dhabi based Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor, returned with gold in the 110kg after victory over compatriot Helton Jose by points 2-0.

The Grand Slam London was the fifth and final leg of the fourth season of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour, with the other rounds being at Tokyo, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Abu Dhabi.