Gadelha, who now serves as the senior director of jiu-jitsu strategy and business development for the UFC, shared her vision during a recent press conference for UFC BJJ Road to the Title, the organization’s new reality competition show.
“For me, coming from my small town in the north of Brazil and using jiu-jitsu as the tool to come out of poverty and making all the way up to a top contender in the UFC, retiring from fighting and being the person that helps this show to become what has the potential to be is super exciting for me,” Gadelha said.
The new program follows a format similar to The Ultimate Fighter, with the winners becoming the inaugural champions in their respective weight classes. Musumeci and Gabriel will coach opposing teams of top-tier BJJ competitors, with the coaches themselves set to battle for the bantamweight title.
Gadelha emphasized the growth potential for BJJ under the UFC’s marketing power, noting the disparity between the sports’ current popularity despite jiu-jitsu’s longer history.
“The UFC has been around for 35 years and it’s way bigger than jiu-jitsu is and jiu-jitsu has been around for over a hundred years,” she explained.
“When I see the UFC fully invested and involved in jiu-jitsu, you can see the growth of this sport. Long term we will take jiu-jitsu to the level of the UFC. And who knows, maybe even bigger because once you train jiu-jitsu, it changes your life.”
Musumeci, a multi-time world champion who has gained significant mainstream recognition despite never competing in MMA, views the platform as transformative for BJJ athletes.
“God gave me this gift and path to do jiu-jitsu,” Musumeci said. “That will give me the most fulfillment right now is just helping our sport grow where we have a steady stable platform with professional athletes.”
He added that the UFC’s involvement creates legitimate career opportunities for jiu-jitsu specialists:
“Back in the day, all the jiu-jitsu people like Claudia, they had to go to MMA to make money. Now, she’s making this platform for us where we don’t have to switch over to MMA.”
It’s worth noting Gadelha didn’t exactly break the bank for her first edition having hired Reirsson Gabriel as the sacrificial lamb. Gabriel seems perfectly nice but he’s barely a black belt and he’s been pushed into a coaching position, tutoring many athletes that are far more experienced than him at both media and BJJ training. And this isn’t even Gi – in which Reirsson’s accolades come from.
The program’s rule set was specifically designed to showcase jiu-jitsu’s excitement to a broader audience. Musumeci explained their approach:
“In jiu-jitsu, if you choke someone and they don’t tap, they die. If you go for a joint submission, their arm will literally fall off or leg. You know, it’s a very violent sport.”
UFC President Dana White will open the show, with Gadelha handling various hosting duties throughout the competition.
“This is our goal in the UFC is to help the sport of jiu-jitsu to grow to the potential that it has.”
