Renato Canuto is the third UFC BJJ lightweight champion in less than a year and a half
The belt went through Carlos Henrique and Lucas Valente before reaching the Brazilian; among the men, it is the only title in the organization that has changed hands
The lightweight belt that Renato Canuto won this Thursday, October 8, in Las Vegas is the one that has changed hands the most among the men in UFC BJJ. Since the first event, in June 2025, the division has had three champions, all of them Brazilian. In the other men’s weight classes, no champion has lost a title match so far.
Carlos Henrique, the first one
The first owner of the belt was Carlos Henrique. The athlete from Manaus, in northern Brazil, beat Danilo Moreira at UFC BJJ 1, on June 25, 2025, and became the first Brazilian champion in the organization. In October of that year, he defended the title against Matheus Gabriel at UFC BJJ 3.
His career almost ended before that. He told VF Comunica after winning the belt that, before he moved to Sao Paulo to train, he was close to quitting because he thought the sport was not for him.
Lucas Valente, a three-month reign
The title changed hands on April 2, 2026, at UFC BJJ 7. Lucas Valente, a two-time No-Gi world champion, submitted Carlos Henrique with a foot lock in the third round, after two close rounds.
Valente never defended the belt. According to the official UFC BJJ 12 broadcast, he gave up the title about three months after winning it to focus on MMA, on being a father and on opening his own gym.
Canuto, on his second try
With the belt vacant, the organization matched Renato Canuto against Canada’s Ethan Crelinsten. It was the Brazilian’s second title match in UFC BJJ. In July 2025, he challenged Andrew Tackett at welterweight and was submitted in the first round. After two decision wins, he moved down a weight class and beat Crelinsten by unanimous decision.
In December 2024, when he was still competing at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational, Canuto told VF Comunica he was looking for someone who would value the Jiu-Jitsu he had invested in for so long. His full career is on Renato Canuto’s athlete page.
Who is next in line
The first challenge for the new champion is to do what only Carlos Henrique has done in this division: defend the belt. At UFC BJJ 12 itself, two lightweights won. Landon Elmore submitted Max Livingston in the first round, and John Chandler beat Raphael Gomez by decision to go 2-0 in the organization. At UFC BJJ 13, on October 29, Tristan Sainz faces David Weintraub in the same division.
Among the women, featherweight is in a similar situation, with three champions since December 2025: Aurelie Le Vern, Rebeca Lima and Brianna Ste-Marie.
Can Renato Canuto defend the belt? Who should be his first challenger? Leave your opinion in the comments.
