At the core of Mayca's competitive philosophy is a willingness to challenge long-standing BJJ dogmas — particularly the assumption that belt rank alone should determine matchmaking. Rather than using rank as a strict proxy for ability, Mayca advocates for pairing athletes based on training experience and competitive readiness, a philosophy that has made Copa Podio both innovative and, at times, controversial.
This approach was not without friction. Established black belts pushed back against the Grand Prix format, with many preferring the super fight structure that offers more controlled, high-profile individual matchups. Mayca navigated this resistance while holding firm to a format he believed produced the most authentic and revealing competitive environments.
The clearest expression of this philosophy came with the launch of the Orange League, which featured a high-profile match between 15-year-old blue belt Micael Galvão and black belt Leandro Rounaud. The matchup was designed not as spectacle but as a deliberate demonstration that competitive experience and physical development can, in specific cases, render belt rank a secondary consideration. For Mayca, the experiment advanced an ongoing conversation within BJJ about how talent and readiness should be evaluated and presented to audiences.