Emmanuela Oliveira 
It was in the face of difficulties that Roney Edler discovered his true calling. Having started Jiu-Jitsu in Ceará, Brazil, there was a lack of resources and training partners to develop a methodology similar to that which was routine in academies in Rio de Janeiro, for example, a major Jiu-Jitsu hub in Brazil.
“At the time, it was difficult to get access to a black-belt. I would sometimes train on top of cardboard boxes, with thick truck tarpaulins. When we saw a purple-belt, it was out of this world. Just to give you an example, I spent four years as a white-belt, training and competing, but I didn’t have access to a black-belt to graduate. Doing my best, I was 10 times Ceará champion and in 1999 I earned my blue-belt.”.
Roney Edler’s ranks, from blue to black-belt, came from the hands of Guilherme Santos, Nova União black-belt, a team that Edler was part of until he created his own team, Sertão BJJ. From the beginning, even in a scarce scenario, Roney showed himself to be a hard-working athlete, who traveled to seek training and competitions outside his comfort zone.
“I kept up to date and brought techniques to share with my training partners. That’s how I started to enjoy it.” Roney recalled. He was the first Brazilian from the Northeast to win, in 2005, the trial to compete in a World Championship held in São Paulo.
Living in the United States, Roney has more resources to help his athletes
If Roney Edler once had to make a living from Jiu-Jitsu without opportunities, today he is in the United States, one of the best places for those who have the sport as a profession. With a career as an athlete without investment and incentive, Roney had to plan with his own resources to be able to move permanently.
“Today I live in the United States, I have my own team and I am doing everything I can to give back, to do what they didn’t do for me. Here, opportunities are for those who want them, not for those I want. I am fighting to get visas for athletes on my team in Brazil. Unfortunately, it is difficult and expensive, but we will not give up. Two athletes have already had their visas denied, twice, but we will not lose heart. The work continues.”.
The greatest contribution is to “form good people in society”
With a character shaped by the practice of Jiu-Jitsu, Roney Edler is now a black-belt who is grateful for everything the sport has given him along the way. He knows the transformative power of martial arts and today his mission is to make more people understand this meaning.
“I got into Jiu-Jitsu and the sport led me down other paths in life. Today, through it, I try to change the lives of young people in the northeast. I have a space in the region that works to recruit these kids so they don’t get involved in drugs. In this way, I help to form good people in society.”.
