Ronaldo Junior reveals serious injury, may need surgery

Ronaldo Junior will be away from the mats for a while. In a statement on social media, the Brazilian, the first middleweight champion in UFC BJJ history, said 2026 has been a hard year on and off the mats, because of personal issues and a serious injury that may require surgery.

He said that everyone who follows his career as UFC BJJ middleweight champion knows how seriously he takes it, and that he will not compete again until he is fully recovered.

He added that the fans and the organization deserve his best performance, that his focus now is recovering the right way and doing whatever it takes to get back to 100%, and that he will be back soon, ready to put on a great match and show the best version of himself.

Ronaldo did not say what the injury is. He closed his message on a light note, joking that his break will give other athletes a chance to win too.

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The belt on the line on October 29

The statement comes less than two weeks before UFC BJJ 13, set for October 29 in Las Vegas. In the main event, William Tackett and Jay Rodriguez fight for the promotion’s middleweight title, the belt Ronaldo won and defended.

Both men have history with him. Tackett is the man Ronaldo beat to become the division’s first champion, at UFC BJJ 4 in December 2025. Rodriguez beat Kevin Beuhring at UFC BJJ 11 in September and called for a title shot right after, when the belt still belonged to Ronaldo.

Unbeaten in UFC BJJ

An Atos product who moved to the U.S. in 2017, Ronaldo earned the nickname “Human Highlight Reel” for his explosive style and guard passing. He has never lost in UFC BJJ: he beat William Tackett on the scorecards to win the belt and, in February, defended it against Norway’s Tarik Hopstock, an IBJJF No-Gi world champion, by unanimous decision.

Who do you think holds the UFC BJJ middleweight belt while Ronaldo Junior recovers? Tell us in the comments.