Paulo Miyao - Aggressive BJJ Black Belt

Paulo Miyao is a light featherweight fighter who achieved his Black Belt under Cicero Costha. Paulo was famous for his berimbolo technique and he was proficient in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from his early teen years. Paulo Miyao and his twin brother Joao Miyao dominated major Jiu-Jitsu competitions.

Paulo Henrique Bordignon Miyao was born on May 11, 1991 in the city Andira of Brazil with his twin brother Joao Miyao. Paulo's father was a farmer and his mother was a housewife. According to Japanese culture, they were raised with the lessons of humbleness as they belong to the 3rd generation of Japanese descendants.

Paulo Miyao's main hobby in his childhood was book reading. He loved reading the Bible from his childhood and tried to implement the lessons in his life.

He liked to read philosophy books based on different cultures. Paulo also has a huge collection of romantic storybooks.

Afterward, Paulo became fond of studying the biographies of different celebrities and fighters.

Miyaos mother was Brazilian and his father belonged to a traditional Japanese family.

Paul Miyao and Joao Miyao are twin brothers and this twinship gained popularity in the Jiu-Jitsu world due to their fascinating and unique lifestyles and fighting styles. They are identical twins but nothing remains the same in their lifestyle except their choice to join the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community.

Miyao's parents wanted their boys to complete their education and search for a good job for their living. To fulfill their parents' wish they took admission to a federal university. Joao's interests were in nutrition and Paulo wanted to gain knowledge regarding physical education.

During their studies, Miyaos thought why not attempt a government test. The test was a tough one and there were not many seats for it. The job chances were narrow but both decided to attempt the test and work for their country as researchers.

Luckily, both secured seats in second and third positions in the government tests. Their jobs were permanent with incredible benefits. Joao said,

"There were about one thousand people who took this test, and Paulo got the second-best grade, and I got the third-best grade. The guy who had the best grade didn't even want the job because he took another test and took another job. Paulo was the boss, and I was the assistant boss. Everyone reported to me, and I reported to Paulo."

Both brothers remained in the government job for seven to eight months but soon they found the job boring and aimless. They thought this is not the purpose of their lives and quit their job to discover opportunities on the mat.

Paulo started his martial arts journey with Judo at a very early age. Paulo's aggressive nature and strong body helped him to learn Judo in no time. But Paulo was seeking something else in the sports world. At the age of 17, Paulo and his brother Joao decided to learn the art of Jiu-Jitsu. They were highly encouraged by Adriano Carvalho who was fully aware of their potential.

Soon both brothers decided to become professional Jiu-Jitsu fighters. To pursue their dream, they moved to Sao Paulo against the will of their parents.

In Sao, Paulo Miyao was welcomed to live in Cicero Costha’s Academy while becoming an active part of their social project which was named as (PSLPB ) Projeto Social Lutando Pelo Bem. This was the place where many great fighters stayed for their training.

Their relocation from Andira to Sao brought a big change in their lives. The Jiu-Jitsu learning phenomenon was remarkable while living with the different BJJ fighters made the learning more attractive and motivational. They took full advantage of the community and began winning many national championships under the Mendes brothers.

When Miyaos started earning some money from the competitions, he added:

My parents realized this was a career when I won in Abu Dhabi as a blue belt and got money. They started to believe that we could support ourselves in this lifestyle. My mom has seen me compete, but not overseas; only in Brazil, like local competitions. But we like to focus and not worry about the family at the competitions.

With the constant victories at the national level now Paulo needed sponsorships for world recognition. His ever-growing popularity attracted the media and they passed every criteria with flying colors. Paulo earned his Black Belt in 2013.

Paulo Miyao's strength in Jiu-Jitsu competitions remains noticeable. Once asked about his strength and crazy focus in the sport.

His reply was “ Whenever I try to do something, I try to do my best, and of course, my brother, who always pushes me. My competitors and I think I was born to be the best that I can be whatever I do.”

When Paulo Miyao left competing in Jiu-Jitsu competitions, he shared in one of his interviews:

After that Paulo Miyao started teaching. He was not confident in his teaching skills. It was due to difficulty in the English language, he thought people make fun of his accent. Paulo gave the opinion that once you understand people do not care about your accent then you can freely talk with them.

Regarding teaching strategies, Paulo said, “I am always eager to learn new things”. He prefers to watch instructional videos and loves to be part of the Jiu-Jitsu community. In the start, he found difficulty in teaching, but then he started focusing.

He shared:

The truth is this teaching style makes you feel incredibly better at decision making and critical thinking skills. Teaching is learning. The most challenging aspect of teaching was the English language, class planning, and handling larger groups.

Paulo Miyao lifetime learning is following a passion and achieving goals. Paulo and Joao never played for medals. The inner satisfaction remained a priority.

In April 2017, Paulo Miyao was suspended for two years for consuming illegal performance-enhancing drugs ( PED) during USADA routine tests. Afterward, he was stripped off from the IBJJF Championship title that he won in 2016.

On 14 July, Paulo Miyao joined Dream Art as a Head Coach of the team. Paulo said:

Paulo Miyao and Bebeto Oliveira are skillful BJJ players. Bebeto is considered a great guard player. His sweeps and reversals were amazing in the fight. The 50/50 lock by Paulo was acknowledged by everyone.

At the end, Paulo won the fight by points.

In the first round Paulo tried to drag Ryan through the leg but failed. Ryan was pummeled inside but sustained his pressure. Nicky tried some quick movements to guard past Paulo. Ryan attempted knee and leg lock but failed badly. Ryan was given a negative point without, it looked like a technical error. With three minutes left, Paulo was awarded two points for sweeping the position and he maintained his superiority till the last second.

Miyao’s guard retention was mesmerizing.

The words shared by commentators:

"This is the best Nicky Ryan we've seen!" Spoken right when Paulo blocks the shoulder drop.

Paulo Miyao was popular for his berimbolo technique and Kamil was famous as a foot lock specialist. Both fighters were favorites for the audience. The excitement was at its peak when the match started. Miyao managed to body lock Kamil in the eighth minute and successfully passed the guard and got three points.

Kamil knows it's the biggest match of his career and Paulo’s pressure on Kamil was noticeable. Paulo's attempt for omoplata was amazing but Kamil managed to swiftly escape from Miyao's grip. In the twelfth minute, Miyao attempted a leg triangle from behind the head and successfully submitted Kamil in the 12th minute and won the fight. Overall the fight was historic. In the semi-final round, Paulo won by triangle armbar. He remained aggressive throughout the whole match.

Paulo Miyao and his brother Joao recently started coaching in the local gym. He shared,

‘I Started To Enjoy Teaching

Paulo also opened his BJJ academy “named studio 1908 in Brooklyn.

Miyao instructional videos are also available for BJJ athletes.

João Miyao vs Washington Lima / Miami Spring Open 2018

João Miyao vs Suraj Budhram / Chicago Summer Open 2018

Joao Miyao vs Hiago George Abu Dhabi Grand Slam jiu jitsu 2018

Paulo Miyao vs Adam Benayoun / Miami Fall Open 2018

Paulo Miyao Vs. Johnatha Alves | Spyder Invitational 2018

Paulo Miyao x Gianni Grippo - Final Grand Slam Los Angeles 2018

Photo credit: @paulomiyao