IBJJF champion Renato Canuto showed he has more than submissions during his MMA debut.
Canuto (1-0) didn’t clock in much time to pick up his first professional win Thursday as he ran through opponent Corey Stewart (0-3) at Tuff-N-Uff 144 at Observatory North Park in San Diego. The TKO stoppage came 51 seconds into the fight.
Canuto’s trophy case displays championships of all sorts. From IBJJF to KASAI to UAEJJF to Marianas Open, Canuto has won tournaments all over the world. Given his continued success in grappling and upcoming commitments with UFC Fight Pass grappling, Canuto doesn’t expect a hard pivot away from grappling. It’ll be more of a gradual process, but Canuto wants three or four MMA fights in 2025, he told MMA Junkie in February.
“I do respect the game of MMA a lot,” Canuto said. “I know it’s a whole different sport, and I have to go and test the waters first before I think too big about my dreams. As far as my goals go, I’m really hoping that I get to do at least four, five fights before I start talking about Contender (Series) or something like that. I want to take my time. I’m not too eager to get to the UFC if that means I’m going to go there and underperform. I need to be ready when the opportunity does come because I know sometimes you get the opportunity to go and you get excited.”
