Rodney Ellis is an Australian black belt in jiu-jitsu under the legendary instructor, André Pederneiras of Nova Uniao. Ellis became one of Australia's top grapplers during the mid 2000s decade by winning several important tournaments in that region, particularly in the ADCC organization. Rodney also had a short run at mixed martial arts (MMA), having been part of Nova Uniao's professional MMA team for two years (2004 & 2005).