JOÃO MIYAO

João Miyao is one of the most influential lightweight competitors of the modern IBJJF era and one half of the Miyao brothers (with twin Paulo Miyao) whose competitive output through the 2010s helped define the berimbolo-and-modern-De-La-Riva competitive style. Born in 1992 in Brazil and trained at PSLPB under Cicero Costha alongside Leandro Lo and his twin brother, João accumulated multiple IBJJF World Championships at black belt and remains one of the most decorated light-featherweight competitors in the history of the sport.

The Miyao brothers' competitive style — characterized by aggressive berimbolo entries, deep De La Riva guard work, and the modern lightweight competitive vocabulary — was developed and refined alongside Leandro Lo at the Cicero Costha academy. The technical innovations the Miyao brothers produced (particularly the inverted-DLR berimbolo and the related back-take chains) became standard pedagogy at virtually every modern lightweight-focused academy and have substantially shaped the competitive landscape at the lighter weight classes from approximately 2010 onward.

João's competitive career has continued through the 2010s and 2020s, with continued podium appearances at the IBJJF Mundial, Pan-American, and European Open events. The Miyao brothers' commercial visibility through their instructional content and their distinctive competitive style has also contributed substantially to the modern berimbolo's status as one of the canonical lightweight techniques. As of 2026 João continues to compete at the elite level and remains one of the most influential figures in modern lightweight BJJ alongside his twin brother and their contemporaries at the lighter weight classes.