Renato Laranja Is The Smartest Man On The Internet...Wait, Who's Renato Laranja?

Whether he's the web's most clever troll or really the most prolific Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor of all time, everyone's got something to say about him.

Renato Laranja (Heh-nah-toh La-rahn-ja) is the smartest man on the internet, but you probably wouldn’t know who he is unless you trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and frequented grappling blogs, read Jiu-Jitsu magazines and geeked-out on MMA videos on YouTube.

BJJ is easily the fastest growing martial art on the planet, so much so that its practitioners are advocating a petition to formally induct the sport into the 2016 Olympic games. Formal recognition by the Olympic committee in 2016 would thrust BJJ into the international limelight in symbolic fashion, being that Rio De Janiero is the city where the Gracie family first developed the art over 80 years ago.

But Mr. Laranja doesn’t care about the Olympics—in fact, he only really cares about himself, which is one of the reasons why he’s so appealing. He’s an absolute caricature of South American machismo with an unflappable, self-celebratory ego reminiscent of boxer Floyd Mayweather or NFL wide-receiver Terrell Owens.

Here’s a video of Renato going Kanye West and interrupting an interview with innovative grappling coach Eddie Bravo:

Renato initially became famous as a young man for the dominant fighting prowess he demonstrated in unsanctioned, no-holds-barred street brawls all across Brazil. He claims he's participated in over 1,000 street fights and has escaped the clutches of competitors twice his size and weight in diverse, volatile environments like empty swimming pools and abandoned churches.

But in addition to the mythic reputation he's earned on the streets, Renato has also found success in the mainstream Jiu-Jitsu and MMA community through another avenue--social media.

He lives on Twitter, where he exchanges photos, messages and gossip with his over 8,000 followers and can be found playfully harassing female MMA fighter and 2008 Olympic Judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey.

Some of his tweets to Rousey below:

His Facebook page is also at its friend capacity, topping off at a staggering 5,000 disciples. He’s amassed even more fans through his advocacy of healthy living, producing a “Fruits and Vegetables,” t-shirt worn frequently by top Jiu-Jitsu athletes.

Hell, even Anthony Bourdain is down with Renato:

But Renato’s back-story is clouded in mystery. He’s noted with winning the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, the equivalent of the Tour de France or Wimbledon--a total of 27 times, which is all the more impressive considering the World Championships have only taken place once a year since 1996.

And there is more controversy surrounding whether or not Renato is really who he says he is.

The video below:

Despite the conspiracy theories, Renato can conjure up a storm on the Internet and in real life.

Here’s a video of Renato calling out UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen after Sonnen repeatedly insulted the current UFC title-holder Anderson Silva:

Rumor has it the UFC is even trying to sign Laranja. But Laranja says he won't fight unless UFC color commentator Joe Rogan agrees to duke-it-out with him.

As MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reports:

Via mmafighting.com

Aside form all the media hype and speculation, Renato breathes an heir of levity into a combat sports culture that’s often stereotyped as blood-lusting, vicious and devoid of any real sportsmanship or class--which is a genuine contribution, regardless of the critics who shun his crazy antics.

A good example of Renato's levity:

Via http://6digitsproductions