By: Jonathan Szczepaniak | Novi Note | Published August 10, 2023
NOVI — Since opening Ronaldo Candido Academy Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2018, Candido has brought the art of jiu-jitsu to Novi and its surrounding areas, allowing children and adults to train and grow with their mixed martial arts craft.
Candido, a former MMA fighter and a third-degree black belt, previously served as the jiu-jitsu coach for former Ultimate Fighting Championship Featherweight Champion and Hall of Famer Jose Aldo.
Now Candido is training the next generation of fighters, and two of his pupils recently shined at the Pan Kids International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Championship July 21-23 in Kissimmee, Florida.
“This is basically the Super Bowl equivalent for a kid in jiu-jitsu,” Candido said. “Kids come all around the world to compete in the tournament once a year.”
Candido’s academy has had significant success at Pan Kids, earning five championships as a team, and 11-year-old Claire Patterson, of Fenton, and 12-year-old Abigail Meyer, of Milford, continued that trend.
Submitting all of their opponents, Patterson, who competed as a gray/black belt, and Meyer, who competed as a gray belt, each earned gold medals for their performances.
“I was really excited and happy to win gold,” Patterson said. “It’s been my dream to win gold at Pans.”
Patterson bested her opponents by triangle and arm bar submissions, while Meyer utilized the Americana to earn all four of her wins.
Competing for the first time at Pan Kids, and having just recently begun training with Candido in November, Meyer said she went into the matches acting out of instinct.
“I just didn’t really know what to do, so I just took what was available,” Meyer said.
For Patterson, the now-yellow/white belt was able to take the next step after taking second at Pan Kids last year.
Patterson has been training under Candido for over a year now, and she had high praise for her coach and the impact he’s had on her improvement.
“He’s a very good teacher,” Patterson said. “I really like how he gets down to the smallest detail, so that way you can make it correct every single time, and he also wants you to be a very good partner, so that way the other person is also getting it right and doing the move correctly.”
Both Patterson and Meyer hope to eventually earn their black belts and continue to progress in jiu-jitsu, and Candido said they have the work ethic to make it happen.
“They work very hard,” Candido said. “Those girls, man, they train sometimes for four hours a day nonstop.”