“She was passionate about martial arts” - Matheus Gabriel shares how his grandmother got him started in jiu-jitsu

Brazil's Matheus Gabriel will be competing for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title at ONE on Prime Video 5 against Kade Ruotolo. However, his journey to greatness began when he was only a child.

Matheus Gabriel recalled that his jiu-jitsu story began when he was merely eight years old. In an interview with ONE Championship, the Brazilian athlete explained:

"I started jiu-jitsu when I was eight years old [2006]. I was very messy and my grandmother decided to enroll me in jiu-jitsu."

His grandmother loved martial arts but was unable to compete herself, so she signed her grandson Matheus Gabriel into a class. He continued:

"She always liked martial arts, but her family didn't let her practice. As she was passionate about martial arts, she ended up putting me in jiu-jitsu."

Gabriel is a highly accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler who will be hunting for a world title on December 2. ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin broadcasts live on Friday, December 2 and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an Amazon Prime subscription.

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Matheus Gabriel excited to earn ONE gold

It will be no easy task to earn the ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship from Kade Ruotolo. However, at ONE on Prime Video 5 on December 2, Matheus Gabriel will be looking to accomplish just this.

As a black belt in BJJ, Gabriel has earned the IBJF World Championship twice and now wants ONE Championship gold. He is proud of being an athlete in ONE Championship. In an interview with ONE, he explained:

“Signing with ONE Championship is an honor. Without a doubt, it is a big step in my career. ONE Championship is one of the biggest martial arts events in the world. Their grappling division is still new but already has big names like [Thomas Almeida] 'Buchecha', Garry Tonon, and the Ruotolo brothers."

In addition to earning ONE gold in 2022, Kade Ruotolo also became the youngest titleholder in history when he won the ADCC world championship this year. For Gabriel, trying to submit Ruotolo will be a major test.

The two world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu grapplers are ready for their showdown at ONE on Prime Video 5. Ruotolo and Gabriel will both be looking to make a statement on December 2.