The never-ending influx of high-level grappling champion to MMA now features Renato Canuto, a IBJJF world champion (gi and no-gi) who is now 2-0 in the cage with back-to-back soccer kick knockouts. And his goal is clear: keep adding finishes to his resume and evolve enough to earn a shot in the UFC in 2026.<\/p>\n
Canuto made short work of Caleb Contreras this past weekend at Tuff-N-Uff 149, scoring another sub-minute knockout in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was funny because last time I didn\u2019t plan it at all,\u201d Canuto told MMA Fighting of the soccer kicks to the body. \u201cIt was just in the heat of the moment, just trying to stop the fight. This time it was even funnier, because when I stood up to give him some space and saw the guy there, it was kind of automatic. The referee didn\u2019t stop the fight, so I was like, \u2018ah, I\u2019ll just kick him\u2019 [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n
Canuto\u2019s goal is to compete at the upcoming UFC BJJ 4 card in December, where his wife Raquel Canuto battles Aurelie Le Vern for the inaugural UFC BJJ featherweight belt. He\u2019s not planning on wasting any time after that, eyeing a MMA bout for January and eventually rematching Andrew Tackett for the UFC BJJ belt after that.<\/p>\n
If all goes according to his plans, Canuto will be the UFC BJJ champion and 4-0 in MMA by mid-2026, either signed to the UFC or set to compete at Dana White\u2019s Contender Series.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the intention,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cIf things keep going the way they are and I keep proving I have what it takes, I want to be part of that Contender Series \u2014 or maybe even jump straight into the UFC. Either way, I don\u2019t mind. I don\u2019t feel any pressure. \u2026 No rush, but at the same time doing everything the way I\u2019ve been doing it, I think by the middle or end of next year I should have a better idea if I\u2019ll be in the UFC or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canuto decided to make the transition to MMA by the end of 2021 after winning the IBJJF world championship with the gi. He believes \u2014 and hopes \u2014 that being a star at UFC BJJ could help lead to the UFC as a mixed martial artist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been investing in that same idea,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cThere\u2019s already been an event where [UFC CEO Dana White] came to watch, he saw my wife\u2019s match, saw mine, and he loved it, thought it was awesome. I even pointed at him like, \u2018Remember me, don\u2019t forget who I am\u2019 [laughs]. I think the right people are already paying attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of 2021, everyone was reevaluating life after COVID,\u201d he added. \u201cI was thinking what else can I do to improve my situation. I was already teaching classes, I had competed a lot in jiu-jitsu, and my goal was always to move to MMA. I felt like jiu-jitsu was losing some of that spark, that excitement of wanting to prove myself, and MMA brought that back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canuto inked a six-fight deal with ONE Championship in 2021 and hoped it would not only allow him to compete under grappling rules for the Asian company, but make his MMA debut for them. He lost his first match in Asia, a decision defeat to short-notice replacement Tommy Langaker in grappling, and felt everything change between him and the promotion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ended up losing a decision in my first grappling match and that was basically it, I was dead to them,\u201d Canuto laughed. \u201cI think felt like I had lost value for them. Everyone wants the guy who wins all the time, but I never got another chance to come back and prove otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
When UFC started investing in grappling events with UFC Fight Pass Invitational, and Canuto\u2019s wife joined the promotion, Renato eventually parted ways with ONE inked a deal with them. He kept the door to MMA opened, and signed a four-fight deal with Tuff N Uff to finally make his debut in 2025.<\/p>\n
Canuto may have lost many years stuck on a deal with ONE, but feels more prepared for the sport after dedicating countless hours in the gym.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack then, I would\u2019ve been much more dependent on jiu-jitsu,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cI\u2019m much more used to [getting punched in the face] now. I think I can already fight guys at a much higher level than before, but I\u2019m following what my manager and the matchmaker say. I\u2019m trusting the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canuto is coached by Matheus Naccache and has trained with a number of UFC fighters in the gym, from up-and-comers Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani and Evan Elder to veterans and former champions such as Aljamain Sterling, Cody Garbrandt, Brandon Moreno, Ode Osbourne, Cesar Almeida and Kai Kamaka III.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the UFC called [today], I wouldn\u2019t say no. No way,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cBut I\u2019m in no hurry. I think if the opportunity came today, I\u2019d take it. I have no doubt I can fight the best because of who I train with and how much I\u2019ve been exposed behind the scenes, training with tough guys. I think I can go toe-to-toe with the best, but I don\u2019t have that rush I used to. If I want to get better, sharpen everything, and leave no gaps, I\u2019ve got to take it easy, stay calm, and let things happen naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Used to competing in grappling at around 170 pounds. Canuto won both MMA bouts at a catchweight of 160 pounds. He hasn\u2019t made 155 pounds in a long time, but sees that as his ideal weight class in MMA.<\/p>\n
The jiu-jitsu ace admits the level of opposition he\u2019s faced so far in MMA is subpar and said he would prefer to face more experienced athletes next. That said, Canuto only sees the elite of the UFC giving him trouble.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the only place where someone could really stop me now would be in the UFC,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cI think I could already be facing guys outside the top 15. I just don\u2019t want to waste the opportunity. Like I said, I\u2019ve been through ONE, I\u2019ve seen a lot of people go in and out of the UFC. Some go in really young as big prospects, lose a close decision or have a few tough fights that don\u2019t go their way, and then it\u2019s hard to get another chance. I don\u2019t want to go in, get cut, and have to fight my way back. I\u2019m 29 now so I want to get in, build a career, and chase the belt, just like everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The never-ending influx of high-level grappling champion to MMA now features Renato Canuto, a IBJJF world champion (gi…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,701,638,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-264219","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-latest-news","12":"tag-mma","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}