Leandro Lo and Felipe Preguiça lock horns in a thrilling match at Rio de Janeiro’s Hebraica Club (Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG).

Last Sunday, Copa Pódio was proof that Jiu-Jitsu goes well beyond just technique. To be champion, there’s one ingredient you can’t do without: heart.

What would be the best definition of “having heart” in Jiu-Jitsu? To have faith until the very last second of the fight would be one of them. That’s what Leandro Lo Leandro Lo of team Cícero Costha and Felipe Preguiça of Gracie Barra BH displayed in the Pódio supermatch, a rematch that brought the Hebraica Gymnasium to its feet last Sunday night.

Leandro and Felipe collided again after fighting to a draw at the Middleweight GP in July 2012. And to Felipe there was extra added flavor in the re-encounter, as it marked his debut as a black belt.

To Leandro, it was yet another opportunity to prove that Jiu-Jitsu isn’t limited by the size of one’s frame.

The match was a thriller from start to finish. Exhausted after their battle was over, the two collapsed to the ground, each to a side, right near the stage.

Watch the action for yourself: