Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Renato Canuto opened up about his transition to mixed martial arts, revealing how childhood inspiration and regional pride shaped his approach. Now 2-0 in MMA, Canuto discussed the technical challenges of striking and the influences that drove him to compete in the cage.
“The striking part is tough, right, man?”
Canuto told AGFlght when discussing his striking training.
“Like, there’s nothing else like it, whether you like it or not, and that’s the only way I can translate it. I’m actually good at jiu-jitsu.”
Growing up in São Vicente, part of the Baixada Santista region near Santos and Guarujá, Canuto found his blueprint in fellow Brazilian Charles Oliveira.
“Charles was, like, like, five years older than me, but the kid was already very independent, man,”
Canuto recalled.
“So, Charles was the first guy I watched up close that made me say, ‘D***, man, this kid has really cool jiu-jitsu, you know?'”
Canuto‘s father organized the São Vicente Open, where he first witnessed Oliveira compete at the blue belt level.
“I saw him there for the first time, and then I was like, wow, this kid is really awesome,”
he said.
“The kid is blind, skinny, and angry. I said, ‘Wow, that’s awesome.’ So, as a child, that’s exactly what I needed, right?”
This early exposure influenced Canuto‘s aggressive approach to MMA.
“If I’m going to fig ht, I’m going to fi ght. No, I’m not going to go there like, ‘Oh, I need to get a double leg here, I want to learn,'”
he explained.
“I want to learn how to exchange, I want to learn how to strike.”
Canuto‘s training journey took him through multiple gyms.
Reflecting on his jiu-jitsu background’s advantages, Canuto noted:
“The cool thing about being a jiu-jitsuka is also this. I already have a high level, man. I see something, d***, how did that guy do that? How do I adjust it?”
After four years of dedicated MMA training, Canuto feels he’s finding his rhythm.
“It’s been about four years now, right? So, it’s been about four years, so now it’s stabilizing better,”
he concluded, suggesting his best performances may still be ahead.
Renato Canuto continued his jounrey in mixed martial arts by moving to 2-0 with another -fast finish at Tuff-N-Uff 149 on October 25, 2025. After making his debut just five months earlier with a 51-second stoppage, Canuto managed to end his second bout even quicker—defeating Caleb Contreras in just 47 seconds. Despite being known for his world-class grappling, Canuto once again relied on his striking, dropping Contreras with a suplex before finishing with ground strikes and body kicks reminiscent of old-school Vale Tudo. Having taken virtually no damage, Canuto appears ready for a quick return as speculation grows about a potential future in the UFC.
