Latest news with #IBJJF
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
ONE Championship signs up world's top women's jiu-jitsu prospect
Helena Crevar's meteoric rise in Brazilian jiu-jitsu has already made her a stand-out name – now, the teenage sensation is set to bring her talents to the global stage with ONE Championship. Advertisement The 18-year-old Las Vegas native has officially signed with ONE and is an exciting addition to the submission grappling roster. But what makes her arrival even more significant is the nature of her deal: a rare non-exclusive contract that allows her to continue competing in other events around the world. 'It's really important that athletes get to compete wherever possible,' Crevar told the Post. 'It helps both the athletes and the promotions to be more open, have more options, and get the most experience.' Crevar is widely viewed as one of the top prospects in the sport. She became the youngest ever podium placer at the ADCC World Championships in 2024, claiming silver at just 17 years old. That same year, she also captured the Polaris 70-kilogram title and continued collecting IBJJF World and Pan-American titles across multiple belt levels. A product of the famed New Wave Jiu-Jitsu team under legendary coach John Danaher, Crevar moved to Austin, Texas, at the age of 15 to train full time. She was promoted to black belt in June 2025, marking 10 years since she first stepped onto the mats. 'To be John Danaher's first female black belt is a huge honour,' she said. 'He's incredibly smart; he knows the answer to any position or scenario. I've never trained under anyone like him.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Teen ranked number one in world after European Championship victory
RINGWOOD local, 13-year-old Darla Anderson won gold at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Kids European Championships (IBJJF) in Rome on the weekend of May 16. Having secured this title, she is now ranked number one in the world in her age, weight and rank making her a force to be reckoned with and a prospect for the future. In both the semi-final and final, she came to victory in impressive fashion with a 30 second submission, overpowering her opponents. (Image: J. Anderson) To continue her winning streak, she is currently looking for sponsorship to help fund competition at the Pans Championships in Florida and World Championships later in the season in Long Beach, California. These are some of the most important and prestigious Jim-Jitsu competitions of the year and will be the biggest moments of her career so far. Anderson trains at Ippon Gym in Bournemouth as well as Southern Quarter Amesbury in Salisbury and has been involved in the sport for around four years. For sponsorship enquiries, email darlaandersonbjj@
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
IBJJF champ Renato Canuto debuts in MMA with brutal kicks to body of grounded opponent
IBJJF champ Renato Canuto debuts in MMA with brutal kicks to body of grounded opponent IBJJF champion Renato Canuto showed he has more than submissions during his MMA debut. Canuto (1-0) didn't clock in much time to pick up his first professional win Thursday as he ran through opponent Corey Stewart (0-3) at Tuff-N-Uff 144 at Observatory North Park in San Diego. The TKO stoppage came 51 seconds into the fight. Canuto's trophy case displays championships of all sorts. From IBJJF to KASAI to UAEJJF to Marianas Open, Canuto has won tournaments all over the world. Given his continued success in grappling and upcoming commitments with UFC Fight Pass grappling, Canuto doesn't expect a hard pivot away from grappling. It'll be more of a gradual process, but Canuto wants three or four MMA fights in 2025, he told MMA Junkie in February. "I do respect the game of MMA a lot," Canuto said. "I know it's a whole different sport, and I have to go and test the waters first before I think too big about my dreams. As far as my goals go, I'm really hoping that I get to do at least four, five fights before I start talking about Contender (Series) or something like that. I want to take my time. I'm not too eager to get to the UFC if that means I'm going to go there and underperform. I need to be ready when the opportunity does come because I know sometimes you get the opportunity to go and you get excited."
Winnipeg Free Press
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian Dante Leon goes after submission grappling world title in Bangkok
Seventeen years after being introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Canadian Dante Leon goes after a world title Friday. The 29-year-old from Harrow, Ont., who now calls Toledo, Ohio, home, faces American champion Tye Ruotolo for the One Championship welterweight submission grappling title in the co-main event of One Fight Night 31 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. 'This is the most important match of my career … Achieving that title, achieving that status would definitely be a life-changing thing,' Leon said in an interview. The Muay Thai main event is an all-Thailand affair pitting Kongthoranee Sor Sommai against former One bantamweight champion Nong-O Hama. Leon and Ruotolo have met twice before, with Leon winning a decision in 2020 and Ruotolo winning by submission in the 2021 rematch. 'I think any insight from those matches should be kind of taken with a grain of salt,' said Leon. 'There's been quite a bit of time between the matches.' Both men have distinguished grappling records. The 22-year-old Ruotolo took up BJJ at the age of three with twin brother Kade, who holds One's lightweight (170-pound) submission grappling title. In 2019, 16-year-old Tye became the youngest athlete to make it to the semifinals of the prestigious ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) World Championship. In 2022, he became the youngest-ever IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) world champion. Leon is a two-time IBJJF no-gi world champion and was named Grappling Insider's Male Grappler of the Year in 2023. Last year at the ADCC World Championships, he defeated ADCC world champions Mica Galvao and Giancarlo Bodoni en route to bronze in the absolute (open) division. Leon won his One Championship debut on Dec. 6, making short work of Brazilian Bruno (Puccibull) Pucci on the undercard of One Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov. He earned a US$50,000 bonus for his performance. He then defeated Norway's Tommy Langaker via decision on Jan. 10, also in Bangkok. Leon has not competed since, focusing instead on preparing for Ruotolo. Ruotolo, who is coming off a knee injury that has sidelined him since July, has won all seven previous One Championship bouts. His bouts last an average of two minutes and one second. He claimed the 185-pound title in November 2023, winning a unanimous decision over Russia's Magomed Abdulkadirov. Ruotolo has defended the championship twice, submitting Australian Izaak Michell in April 2024 and earning a decision over South Africa's Jozef Chen in July. Ruotolo calls Leon a threat 'in every department.' One Championship submission grappling bouts consist of a single 10-minute round with victory achieved by a submission, verbal tapout, stoppage initiated by either the referee (due to imminent danger) or an athlete's cornerman stoppage. The judges decide the outcome if it goes the distance. In order to make prime time in North America, the card starts at 8 a.m. local time in Thailand with Leon expecting to compete around 11 a.m. He says that is not an issue given he normally trains around that time. Born in Harrow in southwestern Ontario, Leon grew up playing hockey but switched to BJJ at 12 years old at the behest of his mother after learning he wanted to spend less time on the ice. Leon turned down golf and piano lessons before his father suggested jiu-jitsu. His BJJ training eventually took him to Toledo where he now has his two gyms. 'Each day that I get to do it, each day that I get to wake up and train, prepare for competition, teach my students is a blessing,' he said of jiu-jitsu. 'I really do enjoy it.' During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. But he acknowledges it's a sport that takes its toll. 'Jiu-jitsu is not something that's great for your body health-wise,' he said. 'Especially at a high level when you train a lot, I think it's something that can really break your body down … My training has a lot of layers. There's a lot to do with the jiu-jitsu side and the wrestling, and the preparation for my skill development. 'And then there's also a lot of strength and conditioning and plyometric work that can kind of fill the gaps and strengthen me so that I can do jiu-jitsu more frequently and do it for a longer time.' — This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2025
USA Today
27-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
IBJJF champ Renato Canuto plans MMA debut in 2025 after three years of training
Multiple-time IBJJF champion Renato Canuto is headed to the cage. After nearly three-and-a-half years of training, Canuto feels ready to make the jump, though he knows he still has a long way to go. 'I really can't wait to see what happens,' Canuto recently told MMA Junkie. 'I'm just taking my time, taking it one fight at a time and making sure I respect the game, get there for my first fight, and then see how it feels. A lifelong martial artist, Canuto has combat sports in his DNA with his father Valdir 'Tio Chico' Canuto a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt, as well. Despite his father's grappling notoriety, Canuto began in kickboxing and karate before jiu-jitsu, so his striking foundations are already there. The details are still being hashed out, but Canuto will make his long-awaited MMA debut after three years of discipline-specific training – and a life of UFC aspirations. 'MMA was always in the back of my head – that I wanted to do that,' Canuto said. 'It just took a lot longer than I thought to make my way here. But that was always a goal of mine, growing up, to eventually fight MMA. … I won world titles both in the gi and no-gi. I just felt like I was ready to try something different. I ended up in an MMA gym again by accident, trying to do some wrestling. I jumped into some shark tanks to help at first. Then, I started jumping into more and more practices. I just felt like that was way more enjoyable for me at that point. I started to get the idea and that's what brought me to MMA. I felt like I can definitely do a lot more and dominated the world and be able to test myself to the maximum of the my abilities in MMA.' Canuto's trophy case displays championships of all sorts. From IBJJF to KASAI to UAEJJF to Marianas Open, Canuto has won tournaments all over the world. Given his continued success in grappling and upcoming commitments with UFC Fight Pass grappling, Canuto doesn't expect a hard pivot away from grappling. It'll be more of a gradual process, but Canuto wants three or four MMA fights in 2025. 'I do respect the game of MMA a lot,' Canuto said. 'I know it's a whole different sport and I have to go and test the waters first before I think too big about my dreams. As far as my goals go, I'm really hoping that I get to do at least four, five fights before I start talking about Contender (Series) or something like that. I want to take my time. I'm not too eager to get to the UFC if that means I'm going to go there and underperform. I need to be ready when the opportunity does come because I know sometimes you get the opportunity to go and you get excited. 'I see guys not prepared when they get their first contract. So I'm taking my time, getting some fights, seeing I feel, seeing how I do. … So far, I really like it. I really like the training and adapting to the striking. I feel like my jiu-jitsu moves me forward. I always push the pace. It's not too hard of a transition for me, as far as figuring out the fighting part of it.' Initially training under Dewey Cooper at Xtreme Couture, Canuto now works with Top King Boxing USA's Matheus Naccache at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. His wife, Raquel Canuto, has 13 fights of pro experience, including an Invicta FC title challenge. The MMA-centric support system is there. 'My striking is not too bad. Not great, yet. You can definitely punch me in the face,' Canuto laughed. 'But I'm getting more and more comfortable. I'm training my eyes and my footwork and being able to see things and understand things better. It's been fun.' Canuto said discussions are underway with a few promotions for when and where his debut will be – but there's nothing to announce quite yet. While he Canuto has grappled mostly at 170 pounds, he plans to drop to 155 pounds for his debut. Regardless of the specifics, Canuto hopes to do jiu-jitsu proud in MMA. 'I feel like we are seeing more jiu-jitsu guys get out there and be able to transition to MMA, do a good job, and show how dominant jiu-jitsu can be,' Canuto said. 'That's definitely a big goal of mine. If everything works out to how I want, we'll be able to show that.'
