

It's Monday again, which means it's time for another Match of the Week. This week's match is Mike Fowler vs. Saulo Ribeiro from the U77kg division quarter finals of the 2007 ADCC.

Mike Fowler is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Lloyd Irvin and fights for Atos Jiu-Jitsu. Mike is well known for the speed in which he received his black belt, which was only 3.5 years, and is the third fastest American in history to do so. He is also known for his very unique leopard print hairstyle. Today, he is the head instructor at North Shore Jiu-Jitsu Club in Haleiwa, Hawaii.

Due to his rapid fast attainment of black belt, it’s not hard to imagine that Mike has done very well in competition throughout his career, winning some major competitions and scoring wins over a few legends in the sport. He is a five time American National Champion (2009, 2006, 2005, 2003 purple weight & absolute), a three time Asian Open Champion (2009, 2008 absolute, 2007), and a one-time Pan American (2003 blue) and US Open Champion (2003 purple). He is also a Pan American bronze (2012) and silver medalist (2006) and took fourth place at ADCC 2007.

One position which Mike seems to favour a lot is the half guard. He is very effective from that position and executes sweeps and submissions from there excellently. Actually, Mike is very well rounded as a fighter. He is good at takedowns, guard passing, on top, on bottom, a very versatile fighter. In terms of submissions, he seems to like the triangle above all other submissions.

Saulo Ribeiro is a true legend in the world of Jiu-Jitsu. He is a 4th degree black belt under Royler Gracie and is also a black belt in Judo. Saulo is the older brother of two time absolute World Champion, Xande Ribeiro. After a long and impressive career in Jiu-Jitsu, Saulo was inducted into the IBJJF Hall of Fame in 2012.

It’s no surprise to find out that Saulo has won numerous major titles throughout his long career in our sport. He is a five time World Champion (2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997), a four time World Masters and Seniors Champion (2013 weight & absolute, 2012 weight & absolute), a three time Brazilian National Champion (1998 weight & absolute, 1996), a two time ADCC (2003, 2000) and Pan American Champion (1998 weight & absolute), and a one-time World NoGi Champion (2008).

Having a black belt in Judo, it’s not really a surprise that Saulo is known for his throws and takedowns. One takedown he uses frequently throughout his matches is the Kouchi Gari, but he also uses both single and double leg takedowns, especially in NoGi. For the most part, Saulo is a top player. Obviously, at the level that he is, his guard is very good also, but he seems to prefer the top game. The choke from the mount is a favourite submission of Saulo's.





Saulo Ribeiro





I'm pretty sure that many of you have seen this match. If you haven't, I'm sure you will enjoy it. Obviously, coming into this match, Saulo had much more experience than Mike did, and at some points it does show. For the first few minutes, Saulo puts Mike in a couple of bad spots, even taking his back within the first minute. However, Mike doesn't give up and escapes, and from there really shows his skill on the mats.