UFC BJJ 5: Musumeci vs Montague Results

Results, Match Recaps & Interviews

Musumeci used his size and strength advantage well as he kept Montague stacked up for much of the opening round, effectively nullifying any submission danger from the challenger. For a brief moment, it looked like the champion was close to isolating an arm, but Montague was wise to it and managed to avoid any submission trouble. However, when he returned to his corner at the end of the round, he reported that he’d “torn something” in his upper leg.

Montague came out for Round 2 and tried to continue, but Musumeci quickly took advantage when the action went to the mat, with the champion securing side control.

Despite his injury, Montague continued to threaten off his back, but later in the round, Musumeci returned to his bread and butter, his leg attacks, and quickly got the finish with a straight ankle lock.

It meant that Musumeci registered his second title defense as he maintained his position as the standard-bearer of UFC BJJ.

Junior looked much more effective through the second stanza as he made more use of his control on top. And while submission attempts weren’t as prevalent, it was the champion who held sway through a middle round that was spent mostly in a guard battle between the pair.

The final round saw a fascinating tactical clash of styles, with Junior looking to work his way into a dominant position on top, while also trying to avoid the offensive probing of Hopstock.

And, with the final seconds ticking down, Junior hit the accelerator and went into a breathless high-paces series of entries as he attempted to find a submission technique before the final horn.

In the end, it was the Brazilian’s work through the final round that proved crucial as he earned the unanimous decision victory to retain his title with scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.

It didn’t take long for the action to hit the mat in the second round, and once it got there, Meregali dominated. The big Brazilian took top position and locked up an arm-triangle choke. But he wasn’t able to move from mount to the side to apply maximum pressire, and Maglicic survived.

Meregali wasn’t finished, though, and a second attempt appeared to briefly have Maglicic scrambling to avoid trouble. The Brazilian adjusted, threatened an arm-triangle again, then transitioned to the back, then switched from attacking a rear-naked choke to an armbar. But Maglicic showed his survival skills to avoid the sub as he took the contest into the third round.

Meregali went on the attack at the start of the final frame as he took the action to the mat and immediately settled into Meregali’s guard.

The pair traded positions throughout the round, with Meregali looking to secure a late footlock, only for Maglicic to turn the tables and attempt to snatch a late submission finish with an armbar attempt.

In the end, the match went the distance, with the judges scoring the match to Meregali with scores of 30-26, 30-25, 29-26.

The match started in stuttering fashion, with a couple of warnings for Murasaki for going to the mat before engaging, then some collar ties that bordered on being strikes from Varela.

The pair then seemed to come close to trading strikes on the mat, prompting referee Jason Herzog to pause the action to let both men know in no uncertain terms that “…this is a not an MMA fight”.

When the action resumed, with Varela looking to bully himself into position from the top, while Murasaki looked to work from his guard to attack a leg or isolate an arm. And, late in the round, it was Murasaki who made the breakthrough.

After securing wrist control from the bottom, Murasaki managed to lock up Varela’s arm in a Choi bar before adjusting his technique to transition into a straight armlock to force the tap from Varela with 28 seconds left in the round.

Ellis started the matchup looking to dictate terms in the standing exchanges as she tried to set up a potential takedown or snapdown, but Lima wisely kept far enough away to avoid the danger. Eventually, the Brazilian decided to disrupt the rhythm with a flying triangle attempt, but Ellis smartly evaded it and eventually ended up on top.

Lima wasted no time in grabbing an angle and trying to lock up a heel hook, but Ellis managed to free her body enough to stay out of trouble before the end of the round.

Ellis pushed the pace through the opening portion of the second round, but despite attempting to finish the match with a straight ankle lock, Lima looked calm and stoic as she almost casually waited for her moment, then postured up and secured an Estima lock to secure the quick tap at the 3:55 mark.

After her victory, Lima revealed her goal of challenging for the women’s featherweight title, and said she’d love to get there by facing fellow contender Bella Mir on a future UFC BJJ card.

Lucas started strong at the start of Round 2, but Gracie looked to use that aggression against his compatriot as he first tried to perform a butterfly sweep, then an armbar attempt, as he threatened off his back in the opening two minutes of the round. Lucas persisted with his top pressure, but couldn’t work an opening through either the second or third round to make the crucial breakthrough.

Gracie, meanwhile, looked to have the rounds in the bank heading into the third, and pushed for a final-round submission. But for all his attempts, including a last-gasp omoplata, he couldn’t quite find the finish as the matchup went to the scorecards.

In the final reckoning, all three judges were in agreement, as Gracie sealed the win with scores of 30-27, ,30-27, 30-27, before issuing a callout of welterweight champion Andrew Tackett, who was sat Bowl-side to watch the action live.

The match got underway and Fonacier immediately went to the mat and attacked Oliveira’s legs. Oliveira saw the danger, but simply wasn’t quick enough to stop it, as the 20-year-old phenom swiftly locked up an inside heel hook to force the tap after just 19 seconds.

It was the fastest submission in UFC BJJ history, and gave Fonacier three of the four fastest finishes ever seen in UFC Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition as he continued his hugely impressive form with another highlight-reel finish.