RONALDINHO: THE ONE AND ONLY, a new documentary series, premieres April 16.
Follow the life and career of Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho, tracing his journey from young prodigy to global sports icon.
So this is what really got him into trouble, the same thing that led to that sequence vs Dricus, and that you can see is a problem with fighters like KKF. This slipshod linear retreating footwork. Gone from the centre all the way to the cage in a second or two.
When you’re 7 years old and doctors tell you that you might never be able to walk.
When you believe in nothing and no one except yourself.
When you refuse every recommendation and chase your own goal all the way to the end.
When your dream was to become a soccer player, but you find yourself in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym instead and at the first opportunity you become the São Paulo State Champion.
When that still isn’t enough for you and you go on to become undefeated across the entire country.
When at 20 years old, with a 12-0 record, you get the call from the UFC and your first opponent is Darren Elkins - a fight you win in 41 seconds via armbar submission.
When things don’t work out at featherweight, when your body can’t handle the damage from the weight cuts and people start calling you a quitter.
When, despite the ridicule, you move up a weight class, go on an 11-fight winning streak and become champion.
When you become the fighter with the most finishes in UFC history.
When you become the fighter with the most submissions in UFC history.
When you have never turned down a fight.
Your name is Charles Oliveira and you are one of the most remarkable fighters in UFC history.
harrell gets up with textbook octopus guard
then smith back rolls to put his hips above harrell's head, get on top, and pound him out
good lesson here in getting up
reclaiming top position is less about absolute head / hip height & more about getting over your opponent's head
Our son's teacher used to call us weekly with complaints. Last Friday during his parent/teacher check-in, she asked what we did to transform him.
The answer: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).
It all started with him not being able to burn his additional energy. Our kid was and still is hyperactive, couldn't fall asleep before 12am/1am, fidgeted through every school lesson, constantly snappy with us and his teachers. Some of our friends were calling him the duracell bunny (in reference to the battery ad) and we were genuinely worried this was just who he was.
We tried a few different sports as our idea was that he didn't have any activity that involved burning his energy. Football, swimming, running him around the park until dark. He'd come home exhausted but his mind would still be racing at bedtime. The energy was there, but nothing seemed to actually settle him.
My brother has been training and coaching kids BJJ since he was young. He kept telling us to bring our son. Tbh, we were skeptical - how would a combat sport help a kid who already couldn't sit still? But we were desperate as school was getting worse and the nightly battles were exhausting everyone.
So at 5 years old, we signed him up.
The first 6 months, he started falling asleep faster and not just because he was tired (he'd been tired before), but because BJJ teaches you to control your body and your mind simultaneously. He was learning to actually settle himself. The 11pm bedtime battles turned into peaceful 9pm nights.
But what really caught us off guard was the respect. Every single class - bow when you enter/when you leave, wait your turn, shake hands with your opponent, listen to your coach. It gets drilled in through pure repetition. Not lectures, not punishment..just practice. 100 times per class, every class, for years.
His teachers also noticed the change. He could finally sit through lessons, pay attention, actually remember what was discussed. Homework became manageable because he'd developed the patience to learn. He was less snappy and more willing to listen.
The hardest part were in the first couple of years as he wanted to quit constantly. The usual kids reasons - i'm tired of BJJ, I don't want to train anymore etc. There were nights we genuinely questioned if we were pushing him too hard, if we were doing the right thing. But we kept him going. My brother being his coach helped, but honestly it was just us trusting that something would click eventually.
And then in year 4, it did. He found his training partner, made real friends at the gym. Suddenly he was asking when his next class was. Going to support his teammates at competitions even when he wasn't competing himself.
This year, the transformation was complete. His teacher went from calling us weekly to pulling us aside asking what we did. The fidgety, unfocused kid who couldn't sit still was competing in tournaments, winning medals, excelling at school, and genuinely looking forward to training.
Here's what we got wrong for years: we kept trying to calm him down. Turns out, he didn't need calming.. he needed somewhere to put that energy. Other sports just tired him out. BJJ gave him an outlet that required both physical exhaustion and mental focus.
And here's the thing few people talk about: BJJ is teaching him to lose. Not avoid failure but to face it. He still gets frustrated sometimes, still has moments where the tears come after a tough roll or a competition loss. But he's getting better at it. He processes it faster now, gets back up quicker. Most kids' activities try to avoid failure or sugarcoat it. BJJ makes you face it every single class and there's no hiding from it. That resilience is slowly building, and it's showing up everywhere. Homework frustrations don't spiral like they used to. Mistakes are becoming learning opportunities instead of total meltdowns. And he's even getting better at maths due to his concentration levels improving.
If your kid can't sit still, can't focus, struggles with sleep, and school is calling home weekly do give BJJ a shot before assuming it's just who they are. Not for the discipline but for the outlet. The discipline comes later.
Here's my son at his last competition. That's the kid who couldn't sit still for 5 minutes.
Alldeles för många idrottsmän kommer idag undan med vedervärdiga handlingar, på något sägt förlåter man deras missgärningar för deras prestationer. Givetvis är det naivt att tänka denna gång ska bli annorlunda. Men för mig är det givet - sagan slutar här. https://t.co/IUF7RRiunN