Ronaldo Junior has broken his silence on the vacant UFC BJJ middleweight belt. The first champion in the division’s history, the Brazilian took to social media to explain that he has been dealing with setbacks in his personal life and an injury that has kept him off the mats and may require surgery.
Because he takes his career and his role as champion seriously, Ronaldo chose to take a step back. He gave up the title to focus on his recovery without rushing and promises to come back at 100%. The division’s new champion will be crowned at UFC BJJ 13, when William Tackett and Jay Rod face off on October 29 in Las Vegas.
IN HIS OWN WORDS: RONALDO JUNIOR EXPLAINS THE BREAK AND PROMISES A TOP-LEVEL RETURN
In his statement, the champion began by thanking fans for the support he has received in recent months. Then he got straight to the point: “2026 has been a challenging year, on and off the mats.” Beyond the personal issues, he revealed that he is dealing with a tough injury that has kept him out of competition. He did not say what the injury is or whether surgery has already been scheduled.
According to him, the decision comes down to respect for the belt. “Everyone who follows my career as the UFC BJJ middleweight champion knows how seriously I take this. I won’t compete again unless I’m fully recovered.” For Ronaldo, the fans and the organization deserve the best possible performance from their champion.
The focus now is on taking care of his body and mind, with the promise of returning soon, ready for big fights and in his best form. Keeping his sense of humor, the Brazilian closed his message with a jab at his division rivals: “Daddy is taking a break so someone else can win. See? I’m actually a very generous guy.”
NEVER LOST THE TITLE: THE BRAZILIAN’S REIGN AT MIDDLEWEIGHT
Ronaldo leaves the belt without ever losing it inside the bowl. His shot at the inaugural title came after a run built in the UFC’s grappling events going back to the Fight Pass Invitational days.
In December 2025, in the co-main event of UFC BJJ 4, the Brazilian beat William Tackett to claim the belt. In the second-biggest fight of the night, Ronaldo set the pace with pressure and pure offense, hunting for the submission throughout the 15-minute bout. The result was a unanimous decision win.
His first defense came in February, at UFC BJJ 5. Against Norway’s Tarik Hopstock, a recent No-Gi world champion, the Brazilian shut down the attacks of an opponent dangerous off his guard and kept the title by decision. He has not fought for the organization since.
VACANT THRONE: TACKETT AND JAY ROD DECIDE THE NEW CHAMPION
With the champion out, the middleweight belt will get a new owner at the Meta Apex. William Tackett, the very opponent Ronaldo faced in the fight for the inaugural title, gets a second chance to reach the top. Across from him will be Jay Rod, who debuted with the organization in September with a submission win over Kevin Beuhring.
Ronaldo is not the only one to step away on the eve of the event. Mikey Musumeci also gave up the bantamweight belt to focus on MMA, and that division will crown a new champion on the same night. UFC BJJ 13 streams on UFC Fight Pass.
For Ronaldo, the mission now is different: heal his body and return to the bowl in top shape. When that happens, whoever holds the middleweight belt already knows who will come knocking.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
