Robbie, 11, won a bronze medal in Abu Dhabi jiu-jitsu world championship last year.
In October, he competed in the 2023 Kids International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan Pacific Jiu-Jitsu Championship, where he was awarded gold for his division.
“I work really hard, I train six days a week,” Robbie told CityNews late last year.
“You have to have a very calm mindset, it’s not like boxing where sometimes you can just go wild, you have got to be more calm and think more, it’s more technical.”
Brazilian jiu-jitsu focuses on taking an opponent down to the ground, gaining a dominant position and using techniques to force them into submission via joint locks or holds.
Robbie credits his dad for his love of the sport.
“My dad started jiu-jitsu when he was younger and it kinda just went through the family, I started watching it on YouTube and it looked really cool and I decided to start doing it and started training,” he said.
“We live on a farm and we train a lot at home. I learnt how to do takedowns on the goats.
“I have a couple of instructors now and I train in Sydney. I also train privately at home, and some instructors come to our house.”
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is not currently recognised as an Olympic sport, but Robbie said he would like to see that change.
“It’s very professional and I reckon it would do well in the Olympics. It’s very fun to watch, people throw-jumping, arm bars, flying things, it’s very interesting.
“I’m starting young at jiu-jitsu, I’m doing boxing, jiu-jitsu, everything, I want to move to Ultimate Fighting Championships and move into MMA.”
The talent obviously runs in the Sanderson family, with Robert’s brother and sister are jiu-jitsu champions, too.
“They’re all national champions, Victorian champions, NSW champions, ACT champions, we couldn’t get to the other ones,” said Alison.
“I’m very proud of all of them.”
At Bungendore Public School, Robbie said his jiu-jitsu victories had inspired a lot of his friends to get involved.
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