2016 Copa Podio Middleweight Grand PrixJul 7, 2016 by Chase Smith
Jiu-Jitsu Addict's Guide to Copa Podio
Jiu-Jitsu Addict's Guide to Copa Podio
The Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix is just two days away! Ten elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes will go head-to head for tons of incredible matches. To
The Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix is just two days away! Ten elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes will go head-to head for tons of incredible matches. To hype you up even more for this can't-miss event, we went through our extensive library to pick out our favorite performances throughout the year from Copa Podio's featured grapplers.
Is Meregali the next big thing in jiu-jitsu? He won weight and absolute at the 2016 IBJJF World Championships as a brown belt—a repeat of the year before when he accomplished the same feat at purple. Meregali's near-perfect record will be challenged this weekend as he takes on Lo and a host of other top black belts.
Danis is ready to make a statement. The Marcelo Garcia black belt has had a lackluster year in terms of results, but that doesn’t mean the potential isn’t there. He's fresh off a training stint at SBG Ireland, where he trained with Conor McGregor.
The biggest man at Copa Podio, Gimenis is a physically imposing figure that employs the hyper-aggressive Brazilian jiu-jitsu of GF Team. Promoted to black belt after winning 2016 Worlds, Gimenis looks like a beast this year.
Fresh off double gold at the British Open, including an impressive victory over Jackson Sousa, Estima left his belt on the mat following a loss to Marcos Tinoco, which implied he was retiring. We’re glad to see Estima is still hungry.
Calasans is an all-time great, but he can be hot and cold—sometimes, the man is a submission machine with an incredibly dynamic stand-up game. But he can also get stuck in the 50/50. We’re hoping the former shows up thirsting for domination.
Combs is definitely the dark horse of the GP; don't count out the American black belt from Easton BJJ. He’s got some nasty footlocks and a finishing style that saw him run through four victories in a total fight time of 12 minutes at Pan-Ams this year!
Santos has been having a hell of a 2016—he took out Felipe Pena at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, Bernardo Faria at Worlds, and won regional competitions just about every other weekend of the year. The man has a crushing stand-up game, and the agility of a featherweight—easily one of most exciting young black belts on the scene.
Borges is something of an enigma—he rarely competes outside of Brazil, but has world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Lo was only able to win on advantages the last time they met, so don't sleep on this guy.
Borovic is looking to pull off the underdog story of the year and take out a few jiu-jitsu titans. We don’t have any footage of Borovic, so we're looking forward to getting to know him as well.
We had to include a preview of the super fight between Brualio Estima and Alexander Trans. How could you not be hyped for this match? These longtime black belts have never faced each other in competition. Braulio has been relatively inactive for the past year, but he did take gold in the masters division at the Abu Dhabi World Pro.
Trans has been testing himself against the toughest competition, and recently earned a victory over Keenan Cornelius at Abu Dhabi World Pro.
Leandro Lo
Lo is an athlete who needs little introduction. Considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete by Buchecha, Leandro has dominated the scene for years. His 2016 run has been nothing short of masterful as well—he started off the year by winning the Copa Podio Lightweights Grand Prix. He then went on to win weight at Pan-Ams, and silver in the absolute. Afterward, Leandro took gold at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, and again at Worlds when he beat Romulo Barral.
Nicholas Meregali
Is Meregali the next big thing in jiu-jitsu? He won weight and absolute at the 2016 IBJJF World Championships as a brown belt—a repeat of the year before when he accomplished the same feat at purple. Meregali's near-perfect record will be challenged this weekend as he takes on Lo and a host of other top black belts.
Dillon Danis
Danis is ready to make a statement. The Marcelo Garcia black belt has had a lackluster year in terms of results, but that doesn’t mean the potential isn’t there. He's fresh off a training stint at SBG Ireland, where he trained with Conor McGregor.
Max Gimenis
The biggest man at Copa Podio, Gimenis is a physically imposing figure that employs the hyper-aggressive Brazilian jiu-jitsu of GF Team. Promoted to black belt after winning 2016 Worlds, Gimenis looks like a beast this year.
Victor Estima
Fresh off double gold at the British Open, including an impressive victory over Jackson Sousa, Estima left his belt on the mat following a loss to Marcos Tinoco, which implied he was retiring. We’re glad to see Estima is still hungry.
Claudio Calasans
Calasans is an all-time great, but he can be hot and cold—sometimes, the man is a submission machine with an incredibly dynamic stand-up game. But he can also get stuck in the 50/50. We’re hoping the former shows up thirsting for domination.
John Combs
Combs is definitely the dark horse of the GP; don't count out the American black belt from Easton BJJ. He’s got some nasty footlocks and a finishing style that saw him run through four victories in a total fight time of 12 minutes at Pan-Ams this year!
Erberth Santos
Santos has been having a hell of a 2016—he took out Felipe Pena at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, Bernardo Faria at Worlds, and won regional competitions just about every other weekend of the year. The man has a crushing stand-up game, and the agility of a featherweight—easily one of most exciting young black belts on the scene.
Diego Borges
Borges is something of an enigma—he rarely competes outside of Brazil, but has world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Lo was only able to win on advantages the last time they met, so don't sleep on this guy.
Dan Borovic
Borovic is looking to pull off the underdog story of the year and take out a few jiu-jitsu titans. We don’t have any footage of Borovic, so we're looking forward to getting to know him as well.
Bonus!
We had to include a preview of the super fight between Brualio Estima and Alexander Trans. How could you not be hyped for this match? These longtime black belts have never faced each other in competition. Braulio has been relatively inactive for the past year, but he did take gold in the masters division at the Abu Dhabi World Pro.
Braulio Estima
Trans has been testing himself against the toughest competition, and recently earned a victory over Keenan Cornelius at Abu Dhabi World Pro.