UFC BJJ returns to Las Vegas on October 2 as two title fights headline a stacked card inside The Bowl.
In the main event, bantamweight champion and five-time world champion Mikey Musumeci makes his first title defense against surging contender Keven Carrasco, who has delivered back-to-back first-round submission victories under the UFC banner. The co-main event features lightweight champion Carlos Henrique, a lethal finisher coming off four straight submission wins, as he defends his crown against three-time world champion Matheus Gabriel, a decorated veteran determined to establish himself as the division’s king.
UFC BJJ 3 airs live and free on the UFC YouTube Channel starting at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
(This page will be updated live throughout the event with full match recaps and post-match interviews with every winner.)
Hot on the heels of his quickfire submission win at UFC BJJ 2, Jalen Fonacier returned to the Bowl and claimed another rapid finish as he heel-hooked Pedro Nakano inside the opening two minutes of their bantamweight matchup.
Fonacier immediately went to the mat from the start of the match as he looked to utilize a leg scissors to attack Nakano’s legs, but the Brazilian saw the attempt coming, and smothered the Los Angeles native’s early gambit.
The action continued on the mat as Nakano and Fonacier tussled their way into a 50-50 position, and with the positions equalized, Fonacier saw his chance and snatched up a heel hook to force the quick tap as he secured another impressive finish at the UFC APEX.
Fonacier wants UFC BJJ to open up a flyweight division so he can compete in his optimal weight class, and his back-to-back heel-hook finishes in the Bowl will certainly help his case.
Andy Varela always comes to entertain, and the 10th Planet Las Vegas talent showed the sort of crowd-pleasing style that has become his hallmark as he submitted Brazil’s Daniel Sathler in the second round.
Varela immediately went on the attack and threatened with a D’Arce choke early as Sathler had to disengage to buy himself some time and space.
The middle portion of the round saw both men hand-fight in the center of the Bowl, with referee Jason Herzog having to remind both men not to get too over-zealous with their hands as the sound of slapping echoed around the UFC APEX.
Sathler struggled to make any sort of headway, as Varela largely outmuscled the Brazilian, and even engaged a few mind games as he tested his reach by placing his palms, one after the other, on Sathler’s head. By the end of the first round, Sathler was starting to look frustrated after Varela’s strength and wrestling ensured he had the advantage after the opening five minutes.
After a pep-talk for Sathler in his corner, and a spot of dancing from Varela in his, the action resumed in Round 2, with Varela looking to be the aggressor once again.
Sathler pulled guard and dragged the action to the mat, but was unable to lock up anything on the way down. Varela settled into the Brazilian’s guard, but received a warning for more action by referee Herzog.
Perhaps knowing he needed to find something special to trouble Varela, Sathler tried a spectacular jumping attack off the sloped wall of the Bowl, but Varela evaded it with ease. And, after looking to pull his man across the Bowl, Varela took advantage of Sathler briefly turning his back on him as he immediately jumped on the Brazilian’s back and locked up a rear-naked choke. Sathler desperately tried to defend, but as he loosened one hand, Varela switched hands and locked up again to force the tap.
It meant that the former welterweight title challenger bounced back from his title bout loss to Andrew Tackett last time out as he got back to winning ways with a highlight-reel finish.
Brazilian welterweight Andy Murasaki delivered an impressive performance to submit Kris Olivo late in the third round, then called for a match against Andy Varela.
Murasaki attempted to control Olivo’s left leg early as he attempted to build a position of strength off his back in the opening minute and a half. But Olivo calmly fended off the Brazilian before bursting into life and attempting a footlock that forced Murasaki to roll his way out of danger.
After a period of stalemate, Murasaki went all out for a late submission as he attacked Olivo’s right leg with a heel hook attempt, but the American did well to avoid danger, and even had time to give a thumbs-up to the referee and flex for the crowd while still caught in a leg entanglement as he made it to the end of the round without any major issue.
Murasaki started Round 2 looking to target Olivo’s right leg, but the American avoided danger and maintained top position as he looked for an opening of his own. Murasaki continued his early-round aggression as he initiated a leg entanglement, then switched position to work from inside Olivo’s half-guard, where he attempted to lock up an arm-triangle choke.
That gave Murasaki the chance to “smash pass” his way into mount, while still hanging on to the arm-triangle, then he transitioned into an armbar attempt that Olivo did really well to escape as the 10-second clapper sounded at the end of the round.
It meant that the match headed into the third and final round, and Murasaki continued to push the pace as he quickly established mount on Olivo once again.
Olivo kicked and bucked the Brazilian off him, but it was only a temporary reprieve, as Murasaki quickly re-established a dominant position on top as he returned to mount with ease once again. But this time, instead of looking to work from an arm-triangle position, he rotated position and locked up a Kimura that forced Olivo to tap.
After his win, Murasaki respectfully called for an Andy-versus-Andy matchup against Andy Varela. After the performance both men produced tonight, that’s a matchup that many fans would surely love to see at a future UFC BJJ event.
Brazil’s Jansen Gomes made full use of the UFC BJJ Bowl as he utilized the competition area as part of his offensive arsenal as he claimed a unanimous decision victory over compatriot Gustavo Batista in their middleweight matchup.
The pair knew each other well from their meeting at the IBJJF World Championships where, competing in the gi, Gomes took the victory. That familiarity may have played a part as the pair largely canceled each other out on the feet in the first half of the opening round.
But then, with two minutes remaining, Gomes produced a moment that is sure to appear in future UFC BJJ highlight reels as he backed Batista all the way up the wall of the Bowl, then landed a huge takedown on his man on the way down. It was a move that drew gasps from the UFC APEX crowd, and ensured that Gomes edged a cagey opening first round.
Gomes went on the attack early in Round 2 and landed another huge flying takedown as he slammed his man into the curvature of the Bowl. With the action on the mat, Gomes briefly looked like he’d found the opening for a rear-naked choke, but Batista managed to escape the danger.
Gomes continued to apply heavy top pressure as he kept the action on the mat, working from half-guard, then from three-quarter mount as he stifled Batista through the remainder of the round.
After two strong rounds from Gomes, Batista knew he needed a huge third round to turn the match in his favor. But despite trying to push the pace on his rival, he was unable to make an impression on Gomes, who was able to fend off his rival’s pressure all the way to the final horn.
It meant that the judges were called into action for the first time, and they all scored the bout for Gomes, who ran out the unanimous decision victor.
Teenage phenom Cassia Moura claimed another impressive win inside the UFC BJJ Bowl as she defeated 2023 IBJJF no-gi world champion Alex Enriquez by unanimous decision.
The match started with some heavy-duty hand-fighting, with both women looking to show their aggression early. But that soon gave way as Enriquez pulled guard to bring the action to the mat.
Moura continued her aggressive start as she pushed hard to find an opening, while Enriquez attempted to initiate a leg entanglement from the bottom. Neither were able to find anything significant, but a very slick jumping baseball slide pass to side control from Moura gave the fans something impressive to cheer as the final seconds of the round ticked off the clock.
Moura started Round 2 with an arm drag as she took the action to the mat, , then went airborne for an attempted cartwheel pass, but Enriquez made sure she didn’t get caught in the transition. Moura continued to be the aggressor from top position, and eventually transitioned to the back and attacked the neck of the BJJ world champion.Enriquez fought the hands and defended well as she fended off the 19-year-old all the way to the end of the round.
Enriquez needed to find something different in the final round, but after an extended period of hand-fighting, the action eventually went to the ground courtesy of a Moura takedown. The teenager continued to boss the exchanges as the seconds counted down on what in the end was an impressive unanimous decision victory.
Brazil’s UFC BJJ lightweight champion Carlos Henrique successfully registered the first defense of his title with a unanimous decision victory over compatriot Matheus Gabriel.
Henrique signaled his intent by running Gabriel up the side of the bowl and almost straight out of bowl itself. Then, as the action resumed, he looked to grab a leglock.
But just as it looked like Henrique was asserting his dominance, Gabriel answered with a leglock attempt of his own that stopped Henrique’s offense in its tracks and forced the champion to play defense to avoid danger.
The action continued on the mat, with Henrique looking to find a leglock off his back, but Gabriel did well to nullify the champion’s threat as the horn sounded to end the round.
The second round started with Gabriel pulling guard almost immediately as he looked to slow down the champion using smart work from the bottom to tie up the champion and keep him under control.
With the challenger’s back on the mat, Henrique attempted to find a way in, but had to be wary when Gabriel briefly threatened with a triangle choke. Henrique continued to pressure from top position, and attempted a footlock just as time ran out at the end of the round.
After two tightly-contested rounds, the title match went into the third and final round, and Henrique immediately took Gabriel to the mat. Gabriel looked to roll into position to chase a submission, but Henrique smothered the challenger to deny him the space to work.
Gabriel then looked to drop for a guillotine choke, but he couldn’t quite secure the hold and Henrique ended up on top again. The champion worked his way around to side control and walked the challenger up against the side of the Bowl wall.
“CH7” continued to push the pace through the final seconds as the match went to the judges, who were all in agreement as Henrique retained his title with a unanimous decision victory.
In the night’s main event UFC BJJ bantamweight champion Mikey Musumeci successfully retained his title with victory over Keven Carrasco, and he did it with the move that bears his name – the Mikey Lock.
Musumeci started off hopping on one foot as he attempted to use his raised leg to initiate a leg entanglement from a standing start. But Carrasco kept his distance to avoid that possibility.
The action went to the ground and Musumeci immediately went in search of a footlock. Carrasco managed to stay out of trouble for a short while, but Musumeci wouldn’t be denied, and eventually secured a Mikey Lock – a modified heel hook – to force the verbal submission from Carrasco and secure the first-round finish.
