# Roli Delgado ("Roli")

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## Overview

**Name:** Roli Delgado

**Nickname:** Roli

**Date of Birth:** November 22, 1981 (age 44)


## Bio

A key figure in the propagation of the straight ankle lock—later weaponized by Rodrigo Cavaca and his students on the world stage—Roli Delgado built a career bridging MMA, leg-lock study, and institutional loyalty. A Nova Uniao black belt promoted in 2006 by Toni Pontes and Matt Hamilton in Macaé, Brazil, Delgado’s path was marked by a painful fallout with Pontes, which later fueled a black belt legitimacy controversy during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter 8. Unfazed, he won his UFC debut by guillotine. His signature game, deeply influenced by footlock master Max Bishop, was refined at Westside MMA in Arkansas, eventually leading him to represent GF Team under Denilson Pimenta from 2015 onward.

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**Last Updated:** September 24, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/roli-delgado)