UFC BJJ – S2E2: Renato, MMA… but where’s the jiu-jitsu?

5 minutes sharp. Same gym, same faces (renato)… and still no gi in sight. This second episode of UFC BJJ: Road to the Title offers no BJJ — instead of moving forward in the tournament, we’re going in circles. And most importantly, we’re completely changing disciplines!

Renato Canuto preparing… for an MMA fight?

From the very first seconds, we dive into sparring with gloves in a cage. The fight camp atmosphere is there, intensity too, but where did jiu-jitsu go?

Renato explains that he’s preparing for a potential fight (MMA?) on August 23rd, right after UFC BJJ 2. It’s interesting on paper, but for a series supposed to showcase the world of competitive jiu-jitsu, it’s a bit less specialized than in the first season!

Bella Mir, the shadow of a great name

The episode’s only novelty is Bella Mir, daughter of former UFC champion Frank Mir. She’s also training MMA with Canuto. Renato describes her as a talented, serious, “coachable” student… already well-equipped: wrestling, submissions, mental game.

He mentions that she fought at UFC BJJ 1, but no clear info about her presence in tournament 2. A potentially strong storyline about family legacy that’s barely touched upon – it’s a shame, a profile on her would have been great!

Ending with a massage

The episode ends with a recovery session for Renato: massage, scattered phrases, then end of episode. Renato talks about the “benefits of being a UFC athlete” (for medical care), but in an episode where the BJJ tournament is almost absent, this phrase falls a bit flat.

“Fight week Renato” UFC BJJ S2E2: slight disappointment

Second episode, very (too?) short (though…), same character, different sport. Still no glimpse of the other fighters, no tension building around the tournament, and most importantly… zero jiu-jitsu filmed.

This short format could be super effective if it took us on a journey to discover the UFC BJJ 2 athletes. But for now, we’re stuck in an MMA training camp in Las Vegas.

Let’s hope for a good surprise in episode 3 with other fighters, storytelling, BJJ, in short – some Hype!