Alexandre Ribeiro and Bernardo Faria met 4 times on record, and Xande holds a 3-1 edge. What stands out is the timing. Faria took the first meeting, the final of the 2010 IBJJF World Championship, and then Ribeiro won the next three, all in 2012. So the rivalry reads less like a back-and-forth and more like one man answering an early loss with a clean run.

Every one of the 4 matches went to points. That tells you a lot about how these two match up. Both are heavy division players who grind through positions rather than hunt for a quick finish, and when two grinders meet the scoreboard usually decides it. Their 2012 meetings crossed formats, with a semi-final at the World No-Gi Championship, a gi final at the Abu Dhabi World Professional, and another final at the World Professional Jiu Jitsu Cup, and the outcome did not change.

Both men favor the Armbar as their go-to finish, and their overall numbers are close. Ribeiro sits at a 76% win rate across 208 recorded matches with 45% of his wins by submission, while Faria is at 80% across 120 recorded matches with 48% of his wins by submission. Against each other, though, the finishing game never surfaced. It came down to positional points every time.