PAULO MIYAO

Paulo Miyao is the twin brother of João Miyao and one of the most decorated competitors in the modern IBJJF lightweight era. Born in 1992 in Brazil alongside his twin and trained at PSLPB under Cicero Costha, Paulo has accumulated multiple IBJJF World Championships at black belt and has competed at the elite level continuously from his black-belt promotion onward.

Paulo's competitive style emphasizes the same berimbolo-and-De-La-Riva system that defined the Miyao brothers' approach but with subtle differences in execution — Paulo tends to commit to deeper inversions and more aggressive single-leg-X transitions than his brother. His competitive matches across the 2010s and 2020s have produced consistent podium placements at IBJJF Mundial events, Pan-American Championships, and European Open events. The Miyao brothers' rivalry against the broader Atos roster (Mica Galvao, Tainan Dalpra, Diogo Reis) has been one of the most-watched competitive narratives in modern lightweight BJJ.

Paulo's competitive influence extends beyond his individual results through the pedagogical impact of the Miyao brothers' combined competitive style. Modern lightweight competitors at virtually every elite academy use elements of the berimbolo system that the Miyao brothers refined, and the technical vocabulary that emerged from their competitive output has become standard at the lighter weight classes globally. As of 2026 Paulo continues to compete and represents the modern competitive era's most prominent twin-brother grappling rivalry within the sport.