While there are many attractions scheduled for the Jiu-Jitsu Con on Aug. 31 through Sept. 1, the superfight card is one of the main allures that promises to heat up the mats in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Among the matchups, perhaps the most anticipated match-up will see the popular Tainan Dalpra facing a troublesome opponent, who goes by the name of Yan Lucas "Pica-Pau."

Accustomed to facing great challenges since his days as a colored belt, Yan Pica-Pau stood out in Brazil with some explosive performances on the mats, but he rose to prominence in the world of jiu-jitsu by defeating Mahamed Aly in the 2015 brown belt American Nationals absolute final, taking the double gold after also winning in the lightweight division. 

With his black belt later tied around his waist, he went on to become a champion at the 2018 Brasileiros, defeating five opponents in his category. Nowadays, at 28 years old, Yan not only likes to test himself in open-weight divisions but also dabbles in categories far above his own.

Originally from the 76kg division, Yan took his intense movement and acrobatic jumps to the super heavyweight and ultra heavyweight divisions, putting on a show whenever he hopped onto the mats. 

These abilities may spell trouble for the favorite Tainan, who will have to deal with Yan's unpredictable and explosive nature as the latter aims to add yet another high-profile win to his resume. FloGrappling reached out to Yan to get his thoughts on the invitation and his early impressions of the upcoming match against the relentless Tainan.

"I received the invitation on a Sunday morning, during my physical training", Yan said. "My first thought was: 'The time has come'. My focus now is on beating the best in the world. I already wanted this fight and, when it comes to the best out there, I believe that Tainan is the first in line. I've been dedicating myself intensely every day of the week to my training and now, with the invitation providing me with a target, I intensified my studies. My goals are coming together and I'll continue striving to reach my best version."

With his strong style and fine performances against heavier opponents, Yan said he believes that his habit of putting himself to the test in higher divisions will provide him with a much-needed edge in his fight against Tainan. By weaponizing the experience gained in heavier categories and absolute brackets, Yan seeks to throw Tainan off balance long enough to seize the victory.

"Being used to fighting stronger and heavier athletes puts me in a position to deal with an intense exchange of energy. This exchange with Tainan, however, will be different. I don't believe that our fight will be a "power exchange", even though he has very good physical conditioning and very constant isometric strength. I will employ the energy that I normally use to move the bigger guys to move him in different directions. We don't often see Tainan on the defensive, he's always the one controlling the fight and the pace. My goal is to use my game to get him out of his comfort zone."

According to Yan, Tainan's most recent bout as a black belt, which took place at the Worlds and saw the Art of Jiu-Jitsu athlete beaten by Jansen Gomes in the finals, shed more light on his fighting style. Always innovating with his game, Tainan gets ever more difficult to read before a match. But Yan said he believes he has identifying his opponent's strengths, and devised a fitting strategy around them.

"Tainan always innovates in his game. I don't think it would be smart to study what Jansen did to neutralize him, because both Tainan and his team have extreme fighting intelligence, and have no doubt corrected those mistakes already. I'm studying his game to identify his strongest aspects and what kind of moves he might bring to our match."

However, when asked what techniques could be used against Tainan to leave the superfight with the sweet taste of victory, Yan jokingly suggested pulling guard. Known for his great game of takedowns and guard passes, Yan remained secretive about his strategy but made it clear that he'll be going into the match with a calculated mindset. AOf course, he'll also take advantage of the element of surprise, which stands to turn all the tables in his favor.

"I'll be betting a lot on berimbolo and flying armbars to take this win! In all seriousness though, when it comes to Tainan, strategies might change in seconds. We'll see when we get there."

In addition to the superfight between Yan Pica-Pau and Tainan Dalpra, the card will also feature Cole Abate against Eduardo Granzotto, Natan Chueng against Jackson Nagai, Ronaldo Junior against Sebastian Rodriguez, and Janaina Lebre against Emily Fernandez. Not to mention the explosive IBJJF GP Absolute, featuring Nicholas Meregali, Victor Hugo, Fellipe Andrew, Gutemberg Pereira, Steffen Banta, Francisco Lo, Horlando Monteiro, and Paulo Merlin. You can check all the action on Sept. 1, live and exclusively on FloGrappling.