Emmanuela Oliveira 
Paying attention to the new champions and the direction of Jiu-Jitsu in the current competitive context, Ronaldo Candido, now a dedicated professor in Michigan, in the United States, shared with VF Comunica some reflections on the influence of Gi Jiu-Jitsu on grappling, a modality that has grown at an unstoppable pace in recent years.
An Atos representative who has had members of the sport’s current elite as training partners, the Mendes brothers are an example, said that the techniques used in the Gi reverberate in the performance of grapplers and the athlete who is most aware of this is the one who will stand out.
“In the last Who’s Number One, all the athletes who train in the Gi neutralized and dominated the guys who train No Gi full-time, the problem with the Gi is that sometimes the fights get very slow and this is frustrating for those who are watching, but with the development of Jiu-Jitsu, they are making this change.”, he analyzes, completing the reasoning by saying that every athlete has to enter the fight thinking about finishing.
On February 29th, the long-awaited IBJJF Absolute No Gi GP will take place, a bracket that brings together Kaynan Duarte, Giancarlo Bodoni, Roosevelt Sousa, Elder Cruz, Haisam Rida, Pedro Rocha, Dante Leon and Patrick Gaudio. According to his own experience, based on training shared with Kaynan Duarte, Candido is betting on the Brazilian, two-time ADCC champion.
“There will only be good fights at this GP! Well, as I’ve trained and I know personally, I’m going with Kaynan Duarte. If he’s on his day, he’ll finish everyone!”, he bets.
Ronaldo Candido has already enjoyed his peak in MMA and Jiu-Jitsu
Having worked in MMA, reaching the biggest stage of the sport worldwide, the UFC, and achieving success in Jiu-Jitsu with titles won in the IBJJF, Ronaldo Candido now enjoys the position of observer and analyst of the sport, following everything from a very privileged perspective, consequence of a solid career built over the years. Are there still those days when the desire to return to action as a fighter speaks louder? Yes, but he recognizes that he needs to pay attention to his new occupations and goals.
“I’ve fought and beaten a lot of good people who are now reigning on the mats too, but today, in addition to being a professor, I became a businessman, I got married, and my goals are different. Now, it has become much more difficult to return to fighting with the death of my only brother, who introduced me to the sport, and whenever he could he went with me to support me in competitions. I really understand the pain and emptiness that Khabib Nurmagomedov experiences, with the loss of his father. Today I dedicate my time to my family, students and everyone around me.”, he says, aware that he is doing a good job in his current missions.
