In his fight against notorious UFC champion Dan Henderson at PRIDE 13 in 2001, Renzo suffered the first knockout of his career. In an attempt to grab Henderson's legs, he violently threw his head into the opponent's fist, causing a shock that made him pass out in the ring.
 
His brother Ryan, who was in the corner, jumped into the arena, and what he did next is something as rare as it is touching in the eminently violent world of MMA: supporting Renzo, Ryan held his head as if to protect him, and gave him many kisses on the face, while whispering words of support.
 
An extraordinary act of affection: for a moment, the two brothers returned to being the children who played together in childhood in their house in Rio de Janeiro, and the world around them, as well as the fatality of that defeat, lost their meaning and importance. If Renzo had been the father figure who had so often cared for Ryan, now the roles were reversed. All that remained was a younger brother's love for his older brother and his willingness to protect him in his arms against the adversities of the world.
 
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In the fight against Shungo Oyama at PRIDE 21 in 2002, there was an episode that to this day causes heated discussions on social networks: the spit that Renzo threw at his opponent during the fight. Analyzing the case, it can be seen that Oyama played a psychological game of insistent provocation: the Japanese made jocular gestures from the beginning of the first round, mocking Renzo's strikes, as if to indicate that the Brazilian was weak and incapable of facing him... In addition, he tried to tie the fight in at least one moment (when Renzo had gotten a takedown and was in the dominant position), in an attitude that earned him a warning from the referee, with the consequent loss of score.
 
The succession of Oyama's antics (which intensified in the second round, with a pantomime of typical Sakuraba moves) progressively irritated the Brazilian who, in a show of contempt, ended up spitting in the Japanese's direction, less to hit him and more to show his displeasure at the adversary's continued disrespect.
 
It could be argued that taunts are part of the MMA world and are a strategy used by many fighters to destabilize opponents. But for someone who, like Renzo, comes from a background in which the concept of honor is precious, contempt for disrespectful attitudes can erupt as a visceral reaction – exactly what happened in this episode.