Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout Renato Canuto improved his mixed martial arts record to 4-0 on Friday night, stopping Dylan Aparis with a clean overhand right at 1:45 of the opening round at Tuff-N-Uff 152.
The victory marked another step in the decorated grappler’s transition into MMA. A four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, Canuto has been gradually building his résumé in the cage, and the finish over Aparis proved his skills.
The bout featured a tense moment midway through the first round. Canuto appeared briefly shaken during an exchange, prompting confusion among the commentary team as the action suddenly paused.
One ringside commentator suggested the possibility of an eye poke, though the sequence was unclear. “I think it was an eye poke potentially,” one voice said on the broadcast, while another added, “He just dropped.”
Whatever the exact cause of the interruption, Canuto quickly regained his composure. Moments later, he connected with a powerful overhand right that ended the fight, securing the fourth win of his young MMA career.
For Canuto, a move into mixed martial arts had always been part of the long-term plan. Combat sports were deeply rooted in his family.
His father was already heavily involved in martial arts by the time he was born, while his uncle enjoyed a decorated Muay Thai career that included roughly ten Brazilian national titles.
According to Canuto, the original idea was to introduce him to MMA once he was old enough to fully understand the sport.
“The idea was, okay, when he’s 15 he understands better what is what. He’s not going to be hitting kids in school,” Canuto explained during a recent appearance with the JustKiddingNews crew.
However, the trajectory of his career changed after the passing of his uncle when Canuto was around 12 years old. In the years that followed, he focused primarily on Brazilian jiu-jitsu, eventually becoming one of the sport’s most exciting competitors.
Canuto captured his first world title as a brown belt at just 19 years old and went on to win four world championships in total. His final major win came in 2021 when he claimed the black belt Gi world title after four attempts.
“That was when I was finally already kind of getting over jiu-jitsu anyway,” Canuto said. “I was like, you know what, this is my last try.”
Now, with a perfect 4-0 record in mixed martial arts, Canuto appears to have found a new arena for his competitive drive.