Roberto Cyborg and Xande Ribeiro fighting at Copa Podio. Arthur Castro
Last Saturday Copa Podio landed in the city of Manaus, bringing a slew of thrilling bouts and crowning a new Middleweight GP king.
DJ Jackon of team Lloyd Irvin wrote a piece of history by becoming the first American to raise a Copa Podio trophy. He first won in the groups stage and then reached the final opposite Fellipe Andrew (Zenith), a brown-belt who had submitted four adversaries.
Prior to this, Xande Ribeiro and Roberto Cyborg stepped on the mat to represent Caboclos and Pantaneiros respectively, in a duel of states that was tied following the wins of Paulo Azambuja (Pantaneiros) over Eduardo Inojosa (Caboclos) and André Júlio (Caboclos) over Adley Lobato (Pantaneiros), as well as the draw between Fernandinho Vieira (Caboclos) and Marcel Gonçalves (Pantaneiros).
Xande and Cyborg’s match went back and forth. After the time was up with no clear winner, the organization added some overtime. A draw was declared after both fighters failed to gain an edge.
Another exciting match pitted Isaque Bahiense against Espen Mathiesen. These two Lightweight GP finalists from a previous installment this time did a superfight. Espen, with his solid guard game, and Isaque, with powerful pass attempts, both put on a show, with Isaque ending up as the winner due to taking fewer penalties.
Results:
Copa Podio Manaus/ Middleiweght GP
1st: DJ Jackson (USA)
2nd: Fellipe Andrew (BRA)
3rd: Gustavo Braguinha (BRA)
4th: William Dias (BRA)
Superfight:
Isaque Bahiense beat Espen Mathiesen
Caboclos vs. Pantaneiros:
Xande Ribeiro (AM) drew with Roberto Cyborg (MS)
Paulo Azambuja (MS) beat Eduardo Inojosa (AM)
André Júlio (AM) beat Adley Lobato (MS)
Fernandinho Vieira (AM) drew with Marcel Gonçalves (MS)