Ronaldo Junior opened up about the difficult circumstances surrounding his camp and the recent turmoil within the jiu-jitsu community during his interview ahead of his UFC BJJ match.
The Brazilian competitor, who trains at Atos in San Diego, addressed how external issues affected his final preparation for competition.
When asked about his training camp location, Ronaldo Junior confirmed he prepared entirely in San Diego as usual, maintaining his routine of training, surfing and physical conditioning. However, he acknowledged that significant developments occurred in the final two weeks leading up to his contest.
“A lot of things started to happen in the last two weeks here. And very close to my match too,”
Following serious allegations by former student Alexa Herse and the immediate separation of Andre Galvao and Angelica Galvao from organizational roles, Atos Jiu Jitsu HQ has quietly updated its website to list recently promoted black belt Sarah Galvao as head coach alongside Michael Perez and Orlando Samson, replacing her parents in that position.
The change comes amid a third party investigation and a wave of high profile departures, including Kaynan Duarte, Andy Murasaki, Lucas Barbosa, Bruno Frazatto, JT Torres, Dom Bell, Lucas Pinheiro and Gustavo Batista, many of whom cited leadership concerns.
While the academy continues operating with a reduced coaching staff, questions persist about Sarah Galvao’s experience, whether she is acting independently or as a proxy for her parents and the legitimacy of the leadership separation, especially given Andre Galvao’s continued ties to multiple Atos related LLCs. Although Andre Galvao has denied the allegations as false and retaliatory, the organizational shakeup and sustained scrutiny cast uncertainty over the future of the team.
The timing proved particularly challenging as Ronaldo Junior‘s immunity dropped due to intense training.
“I ended up having a few days that I got sick. I went to the hospital. Nobody knows that, right?”
The combination of breaking news and compromised health created a difficult situation during crucial preparation time.
Rather than dwelling on the circumstances, Orlando Samson chose to protect his mental state.
“I managed to prioritize my mental health more. I kept my mind focused on my goal. And I moved away a lot from the news, from social media. To be able to come here and put the performance that I want to put,”
Despite distancing himself from social media and news cycles, Ronaldo Junior remained aware of developments within the jiu-jitsu community.
“I also kept knowing about a lot of things that happened. And in the jiu-jitsu community too. So a lot of very sad things there, right?”
He confirmed having a week of recovery time and feeling prepared to compete.
The competitor emphasized his focus on professionalism moving forward.
“That’s what I expect. To compete and show people professionalism. And good vibes for everyone,”
