João Miyao was born on May 11, 1991, in Andirá, a small city in the state of Paraná, Brazil, alongside his twin brother Paulo Miyao. Third-generation Japanese descendants, the brothers were raised by a farmer and a housewife in modest, small-town circumstances — an upbringing that forged the relentless work ethic both became known for throughout the grappling world.

Like many Brazilian athletes of their generation, João and Paulo entered martial arts through Judo before discovering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At age 16, they found BJJ and never looked back. Their first instructor, Adriano Carvalho, recognized the extraordinary talent both boys possessed and consistently pushed them to train more intensively and compete regularly. That early mentorship planted the seed for a lifelong professional commitment to the sport.

Driven by an ambition their parents initially opposed, João and Paulo made the decisive move from Andirá to São Paulo as soon as they came of age, determined to pursue professional BJJ careers. In São Paulo, they found a transformative home at Cicero Costha's social project, the Projeto Social Lutando Pelo Bem — known widely as PSLPB Cicero Costha. The project offered not just world-class coaching but a complete living environment, with dedicated athletes residing inside the academy and training with singular focus.

Life Inside the Academy

During those formative years, João's dedication was all-consuming. He drilled techniques for hours on end and slept on the gym floor — a monastic commitment to improvement that became the stuff of BJJ legend. Both brothers studied the game of Rafael Mendes and Guilherme Mendes extensively, building their own brand of sharp, hyper-flexible guard play rooted in inversions and deep positional understanding. A telling measure of their development was their consistent ability to medal in absolute divisions while competing at only 64 kilograms — a feat that drew widespread attention and secured the sponsorships needed to compete internationally.

The brothers progressed through the belt ranks in near-perfect parallel. Paulo received his brown belt slightly ahead of João, but the two ultimately earned their black belts together in June 2013, having also shared the colored belt podium at the World and Pan championships at purple and brown belt between 2011 and 2013.

João Miyao's technical identity is built on a guard system defined by fluid inversions, constant movement, and the ability to deny opponents any stable position from which to operate. Heavily influenced by the Mendes brothers' guard philosophy and refined through thousands of hours of deliberate drilling, his game became a defining model of the Berimbolo era — precise, athletic, and deeply systematic.

The Baratoplata: A Signature Weaponized

Over time, the Baratoplata emerged as João's signature submission. Mechanically related to the Triangle Choke in its leverage demands, the baratoplata requires exceptional flexibility, precise timing, and a thorough understanding of limb control. João has perfected the technique to a degree few others have matched at the highest level: in 2022 alone, he secured ten baratoplata submissions in tournament competition, underscoring how reliably the technique functions against world-class opposition.

He has shared that knowledge broadly through instructional video content and seminars worldwide, focusing on the technique's mechanics and entry points. His instructional approach emphasizes positional control and patient setup over rushing to the finish — a reflection of his broader grappling philosophy. João has also articulated a clear preference for gi competition: "Gi, for sure. I have more options. It's more fun for me." The gi, in his view, enhances the baratoplata specifically, as grips enable the precise limb control the technique demands. His guard as a whole is defined by the ability to neutralize an opponent's game plan while methodically constructing his own attack sequences — a quality that made him one of the most difficult competitors in the world to face across a decade of elite-level matches.

João Miyao stands as one of the most decorated competitors of his generation in the featherweight and light-featherweight divisions, with a record built across both gi and no-gi formats over more than a decade of international competition.

IBJJF Titles

His most significant gi achievement arrived at the 2019 IBJJF World Championship, where he claimed gold to complete the sport's most coveted title. On the no-gi side, he accumulated IBJJF World No-Gi Championship gold in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019, establishing himself as one of the dominant forces in that format across a sustained period. His Pan Championship record is equally impressive: five consecutive gold medals from 2014 through 2018, supplemented by no-gi Pan titles in 2015 and 2018. Multiple IBJJF European Open titles in 2014, 2018, and 2019 rounded out his IBJJF portfolio.

International Circuit Results

Beyond the IBJJF circuit, João built an equally formidable international résumé. He won the Abu Dhabi Pro in 2018, claimed UAEJJF Grand Slam titles in Abu Dhabi (2018 and 2019), Rio de Janeiro (2015), and Los Angeles (2017), and took Grand Prix gold at the 2019 KASAI Pro 6 and the 2017 ACBJJ 6 tournament. His colored belt record foreshadowed it all — multiple World and Pan Championship titles at purple and brown belt between 2011 and 2013 made clear that his ascent to black belt dominance was no accident.

Following his years competing under the PSLPB Cicero Costha banner, João spent a significant period training and competing with Unity Jiu-Jitsu in New York City. In 2020, he and Paulo parted ways with Unity, citing unresolved issues within the organization — a separation that closed one chapter and opened a more independent path.

In early 2024, the Miyao brothers launched their own academy, Studio 1908, in Jersey City, New Jersey. The gym serves as the direct institutional expression of the Miyao philosophy: obsessive drilling, technical depth, and competitive excellence built over decades on the mat. Studio 1908 provides a training home for high-level competitors and everyday students alike, offering access to elite instruction. The venture marks a meaningful transition from sponsored athlete to independent gym owner — a deliberate maturation of career that few competitors at their level navigate as purposefully.

João Miyao's post-peak career reflects a thoughtful evolution rather than a withdrawal. He has transitioned from the relentless full-time competition schedule of his prime to a more selective approach that balances competitive performance with coaching responsibilities — and the results on the mat have shown no meaningful decline.

In 2022, he claimed gold in the Master 1 light-featherweight division at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, demonstrating that his technique remains elite-level even as his priorities have broadened. He and Paulo also shared the podium at major adult events at the 2021 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, confirming that both brothers remain formidable in open adult competition.

Teaching the Next Generation

At Studio 1908, João teaches classes regularly — passing on the berimbolo sequences, guard systems, and submission mechanics he spent years developing. The same obsessive drilling culture he lived inside the PSLPB academy has become the standard he sets for his own students. João also supported Paulo's 2022 move into a head coaching role at Dream Art in São Paulo, demonstrating the continued alignment that has defined their parallel careers.

In January 2026, while conducting a coaching trip to Lisbon, Portugal, João documented a full day of instruction across four sessions — two private lessons and two group classes — earning 1,950 euros, offering a transparent look at a premium international coaching model that has become an increasingly significant part of his professional life. Following a gold medal performance around the same period, he reflected publicly on the mindset that has carried him through his career: "Never give up," he said, adding, "I think I'm better today, but next competition my opponent can be better than me." That combination of quiet confidence and genuine humility, paired with a stoic, laboratory-like approach to technical study, has made João Miyao as compelling a teacher as he was a competitor.