Ill start by saying, that all the top level bjj guys now train judo. Xande has excellent judo roger's judo is very good but id go with jacare
I would probably say Leo Leite. I'm pretty sure he's the only BJJ'er who made the cross to Judo successful. I farily certain he's won a BJJ mundial championship and also has competed on the national Judo team for Brazil. Check out this video with him and Estima. Braulio gets him in the end, but it shows his Judo skills. Practically every gi match with Leo Leite has some sick Judo throws. I'd also say Jacare, Leo Veira, Lucas Leite, Roger Gracie (he gets taken down a lot with singles and doubles, but he's got some very good offensive Judo)
Flavio Canto is definitely up there. Surprised no one's mentioned him yet even though this video was just posted in another thread earlier this week: I think he is, or was, Xande's judo coach as well, can anyone confirm/deny?
I thought Maia showed good judo against Sonnen when he threw him. It's not easy to throw an Olympic level Greco-Roman wrestler.
Flavio Canto doesn't do BJJ, he does Judo and has great newaza skills. Saulo, Xande, Jacare, Roger etc are good at judo in as much as they have good tachiwaza, they may even have actual judo black belts, but they are not good Judoka in the way Canto or Leite or other actual judoka are. Like saying Arona has good wrestling (for a grappler) but is incomparable to actual elite wrestlers. I am quite sceptical that Megaton was ever on the Olympic Judo Squad, i can't find any competitive judo record for him at all at any level other than a reference to his being Rio State champion in the 80's. Rhadi was a fairly high level competitor in the gi (Olympian), 4 time US Judo champ and ADCC competitor, but has no signficant bjj gi achievements as a black belt. Camarillo was pretty decent at both (3 US Judo national bronzes back in the 90's iirc) but not what you would call Elite. Leo Leite is the only true elite Judoka & Jitsuka, having won the Copa do Mundo and Mundials as a BJJ Black Belt and having won the Pan Ams and South American championships (and a World Cup event) in Judo (and a bunch of other medals). Leo's full Judo record: Leonardo Leite - JudoInside.com
You'll find similar, or basically the same moves in both arts. Where you saw a wrestling lateral drop, I saw a Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi from an overhook (No-Gi adaptation). Look: YouTube - sasae tsurikomi ashi The principals are very much the same. Its very likely, considering the popularity of Judo in Brazil, that Maia actually has more of a Judo inspired stand up game.
no. not even close. that was a trip. what maia did was a double overhook greco throw, with an arch even. the whole nine. that was wrestling 101.
