Sertão BJJ, a team that took its first steps in the Northeast of Brazil, is opening its second academy in international territory. Led by Roney Edler, who heads the headquarters in the US, the team will now have a gym in the country that will once again host the IBJJF Euros next year. Filipe Carvalho will be the black-belt in charge of the academy located in Oeiras, Lisbon.
“We are working for the good, which is to give opportunities to athletes from the Northeast. The opening of another gym in Portugal opens up space for athletes to compete with support in Europe. The opposite can also happen, with European athletes moving to the United States or Brazil.”.
In an interview with VF Comunica, Roney said that the opportunity for a new Sertão academy in Europe appeared in 2020, during the black-belt’s trip to the IBJJF European, in Lisbon.
“I was in Portugal to compete in the Euros and met Professor Adalto. At the time, one of his sons was a purple-belt, very tough, with a good Jiu-Jitsu. Today he is a black-belt and is responsible for the academy he has in Portugal, together with his father. Now, since I am going to take two of my students to the country for the Europeans in Lisbon, we formed this partnership with the team because he believes in our purpose of transforming lives,” he added.
Roney Edler’s influence provides partnerships for Sertão
For Roney, the expansion of Sertão BJJ must happen after an alignment of principles. There is no point in bringing in a professor whose priority is interests other than the collective improvement through sport. Today, Sertão BJJ has five academies, three in Brazil, one in the United States, which can be considered the headquarters, and now the Portuguese gym.
“You have to be committed to contribute in all aspects and not just receive benefits, since I get a lot of support because of the friendships and knowledge I have acquired over the years. ‘Friends are worth more than money in your pocket’, that is a proverb I carry with me. Tiago Mascarenhas, for example, is a friend from Seda College who provides scholarships for Sertão athletes to study English.”.
