By TXMMA Staff | Cover photo: Podium CUP JJ (Copa Podio de Jiu-jitsu)
Rodolfo Vieira establishes 2014 dominance with first big tournament victory in Rio
February 3, 2014 – The second-ever Copa Podio (Podium CUP JJ / Copa Podio de Jiu-jitsu) happened this past Saturday (2/1/14) at the Botafogo Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One of the more elite and lucrative tournaments in the BJJ world as of late, this rendition of the internet PPV event featured top BJJ black belts including Rodolfo Vieira and Leandro Lo along with an exclusive collection of other world class brown and black belt competitors along with UFC fighter Alan Belcher, all competing in a round-robin format before crowning the tournament champion.
The star of this edition of Copa Podio was most definitely the GFTeam star Rodolfo Vieira who was able to defeat Leandro Lo in the final for the second time on the day. The two had fought to a draw earlier on in the day’s bracket action but things went better for the “Black Belt Hunter” in the final as he was able to pass Lo’s nearly impassable guard before gaining the choke from the back for the victory and the first place finish.
Vieira also beat Alan Belcher, Judo Olympian Travis Stevens, and several others throughout the day at Copa Pdio.
Check out complete results from bracket action and more below:
Copa Podio – Quick results from February 1, 2014
First Round
- Tim Spriggs def. Luiz Panza by points (3-2)
- Travis Stevens def. Rico Bastos by submission (arm-lock)
- Rodolfo Vieira def. Alexandre Souza by submission (arm-lock)
- Faisal Alkitbe def. Alan Belcher by points (2-0)
Second Round
- Luiz Panza def. finalizou Rico Bastos by submission (triangle)
- Leo Nogueira def. Tim Spriggs by points (5-0)
- Rodolfo Vieira def. Faisal Alkitbe by submission (choke)
- Leandro Lo def. Alexandre Souza by points (4-0)
Third Round
- Leo Nogueira def. Rico Bastos by points (2-0)
- Luiz Panza def. Travis Stevens by submission (heel hook)
- Leandro Lo def. Faisal Alkitbe by advantages (1-0)
- Rodolfo Vieira def. Alan Belcher by submission (choke)
Fourth Round
- Travis Stevens vs. Leo Nogueira – DRAW
- Tim Spriggs def. Rico Bastos by points (2-0)
- Leandro Lo def. Alan Belcher by submission (choke)
- Alexandre Souza def. Faisal Alkitbe by submission (arm-lock)
Fifth Round
- Travis Stevens def. Tim Spriggs by points (7-0)
- Luiz Panza vs. Leo Nogueira – DRAW
- Alexandre Souza def. Alan Belcher by submission (arm-lock)
- Rodolfo Vieira vs. Leandro Lo – DRAW
Semifinal Round
- Leandro Lo def. Luiz Panza by points (6-4)
- Rodolfo Vieira def. Travis Stevens by submission (choke)
Third place match:
- Luiz Panza def. Travis Stevens by submission (ankle lock)
Final Bout
- Rodolfo Vieira def. Leandro Lo by submission (choke)
Superfights
- Franco Marini def. Magid Hage (ankle lock)
- Felipe Preguiça def. Guto Campos by points (12-10) in overtime
