UFC BJJ
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UFC BJJ 7: Tackett vs Rocha Results
Live Results, Match Recaps And Interviews With The Winners From UFC BJJ 7: Tackett vs Rocha At Meta APEX In Las Vegas, Nevada On April 2, 2026
Two new champions were crowned, while another was pushed to the limit on a memorable night of UFC BJJ action at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Reigning welterweight champion Andrew Tackett was pushed all the way to the scorecards by veteran Vagner Rocha as the face of UFC BJJ was made to work for his third straight title defense, but the night offered different fortunes for the other two champions as a pair of hungry challenges toppled the belt-holders to take up their respective mantles.
At lightweight, Lucas Valente continued his unbeaten record against Carlos Henrique as he dethroned “CH7” to become UFC BJJ champ at 155 pounds, while at 145 pounds, Rebeca Lima defeated Aurelie Le Vern to take over the women’s featherweight crown.
UFC BJJ 7 Results:
Welterweight Title Match - (C) Andrew Tackett defeats Vagner Rocha via unanimous decision
The main event saw reigning welterweight champion Andrew Tackett defeat veteran contender Vagner Rocha to retain his 170-pound title, but his third title defense came much, much tougher than his previous two.
The matchup was a battle of the generations, with 43-year-old former UFC vet Rocha stepping in to take on 22-year-old phenom Tackett for the welterweight crown. And while Rocha arrived in the arena with a significant experience advantage, it was Tackett’s speed and sheer talent that proved to be the difference maker as he claimed victory to register the third straight defense of his title.
The pair immediately went to the mat as Tackett attempted to ankle-pick the veteran, but Rocha sprawled out of danger and immediately locked onto the champion to limit his options.
Tackett attempted a guillotine choke that Rocha did well to escape, before the pair traded leg locks, with both men able to survive. Tackett worked from top position, and even appeared to share a little joke with Rocha between transitions, as the pair jockeyed for position on the mat.
Rocha stayed active off his back, while Tackett applied heavy top pressure. The champion then leaned back and looked to finish his man with an ankle lock late in the round, but Rocha defended well and dismissed the attempt with a wag of the finger.
The action clicked up a gear at the start of the second round as Tackett rolled his way up to position to attempt a heel hook that Rocha countered with an ankle lock of his own. The action continued, with Tackett pushing the pace, but Rocha went with him every step of the way as he defended smartly from any offense Tackett tried to mount. Then, in the final 60 seconds of the round, Rocha went in the attack as he ended up inside Tackett’s guard for the first time in the match. Despite achieving his best position of the match, there wasn’t enough time left on the clock to find a finish.
Rocha’s stubborn resistance and dangerous counters ensured the match went into the third and final round, and Tackett got to work quickly as he worked his way into position, then got to work in search of a rear-naked choke. Rocha defended well and, with the final minute counting down, he went for broke as he attempted to grab an ankle lock to claim a last-gasp victory. Tackett did enough to defend, however, as the match went all the way to the final horn.
When the judges’ scorecards were totaled, Tackett was declared the unanimous decision winner, but Rocha’s performance in defeat, after giving a champion 21 years his junior the toughest test of his UFC BJJ career, earned him the respect of everyone inside the Meta APEX.
Lightweight Title Match - Lucas Valente defeats Carlos Henrique via submission (footlock) – Round 3, 3:07
In the co-main event, Lucas Valente brilliantly turned the tables on Carlos Henrique to submit “CH7” with a last-round leg lock to capture the UFC BJJ lightweight title in a thrilling encounter.
Valente started off as the aggressor as, after a period of hand-fighting, he charged Henrique all the way up the slope of the Bowl and almost over the top of the competition area. However, Henrique managed to rotate away of danger, then defended well as Valente tried to take his back as they locked up on the mat. Henrique twice tried a similar charge on Valente, but he showcased smart footwork to pivot and move back down to the center of the Bowl. The champion then looked to push the pace on the mat, but the round ended with Valente attempting to attack a leg.
Lucas Valente Post-Match Interview | UFC BJJ 7
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Lucas Valente Post-Match Interview | UFC BJJ 7
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Round 2 saw Valente deploy more eye-catching entries and submission attempts as he launched into flying guard-pulls and leg-lock attempts. But Henrique calmly dealt with everything the challenger could throw at him. But, over the course of the five minutes, it was Valente who was pushing for the finish as he played out the last minute of the round with a succession of leglock attempts on the champion.
In the third round, Henrique frustrated Valente on the ground, as the challenger opted to abandon his guard game and return to his feet. With the action standing up, Henrique appeared to be holding sway, and when the defending champion leapt into a flying armbar attempt, it looked like Henrique was edging the final round. But, as the champion chased a finish, Valente escaped and, in the blink of an eye, switched from defense to offense as he locked up a footlock to force the tap.
It gave Valente his fourth straight victory over Henrique, as he captured the lightweight title in stunning style.
Women’s Featherweight Title Match - Rebeca Lima defeats Aurelie Le Vern via unanimous decision
Brazil’s Rebeca Lima leaned on her guard play and leglock attempts as she captured the UFC BJJ women’s featherweight championship from defending champion Aurelie Le Vern.
Le Vern attacked from the very start and took Lima to the mat as she settled into Lima’s guard and looked to work an opening. But as she looked to open things up for a submission, Lima transitioned to Le Vern’s back and looked close to locking up a rear-naked choke. But the champion calmly found a way out.
Rebeca Lima Post-Match Interview | UFC BJJ 7
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Rebeca Lima Post-Match Interview | UFC BJJ 7
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Le Vern remained inside Lima’s closed guard, and looked to apply pressure from the top, while Lima constantly looked to isolate an ankle. Then, just before the clapper sounded at the end of the round, Lima brilliantly exploded off the mat to land on top of the champion to round off a very impressive opening round from the challenger.
The action resumed in the second round with Lima working off her back, while Le Vern worked from inside the Brazilian’s guard. There was a brief scare when it looked like Lima had locked up a straight ankle lock on the champion, but Le Vern quickly remedied the position. Le Vern continued to press from the top, while Lima looked for openings from the bottom, and their contrasting approaches canceled each other out for the remainder of the round.
Lima persisted with her guard play through the third round as she continued to frustrate Le Vern, and even managed to get an entry for an ankle lock. But in response, Le Vern turned the tables and attempted to counter with a kneebar. It sparked a leglock battle as both women worked for a late submission. Lima went on the attack as she looked to lock up a late kneebar of her own, but Le Vern defended well, then attempted a last-gasp Aoki lock, but couldn’t finish the submission.
It meant the match went to the scorecards, with all three judges all scoring it for Lima, who captured the women’s 145-pound crown to follow hot on the heels of her teammate Cassia Moura, who claimed bantamweight gold at UFC BJJ 6 last month.
Welterweight - Renato Canuto defeats Yonathan Cardenas via unanimous decision
Former UFC BJJ welterweight title challenger Renato Canuto was pushed to the scorecards as he claimed a dominant decision win over of Chile’s Yonathan Cardenas in their 170-pound matchup.
Canuto immediately went to the ground with Cardenas and quickly tried to lock up a D’Arce choke. Cardenas tried to keep himself at a safe angle to prevent Canuto from closing off the choke, and did well enough to force Canuto to disengage. Cardenas looked to press forward in search of a takedown, but Canuto fended him off as the pair canceled each other out for the remainder of the round.
Canuto pulled guard early in Round 2, but it only gave the initiative to Cardenas, who pressured the Brazilian from top position, though he couldn’t find an opening for any kind of submission opportunity. Eventually the action returned to the feet, but Canuto shot in to score an important takedown before the round came to an end.
Cardenas opened Round 3 with a smartly executed double-leg takedown as he sent Canuto down to the mat. But once he got him there, the Chilean was unable to mount any offense, and referee Jason Herzog called for a stand-up. After the action resumed, Canuto turned up the heat as he went through a series of fake entries before eventually taking Cardenas’s back. Canuto continued to change positions and points of attack in search of a late sub. But Cardenas, to his credit, gamely fended him off to take the match to the judges’ scorecards.
There was no doubt over the victor, however, as Canuto was announced the unanimous decision winner.
Women’s Flyweight - Adele Fornarino defeats Alex Enriquez via submission (kneebar) – Round 1, 2:02
The last time we saw Australia’s Adele Fornarino in action at the Meta APEX, she lost a razor-close decision to Ffion Davies at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational event. But tonight she returned to the same venue to compete in the UFC BJJ Bowl for the first time, and claimed a first-round submission finish over Alex Enriquez in their women’s flyweight matchup.
Adele Fornarino Post-Match Interview | UFC BJJ 7
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Adele Fornarino Post-Match Interview | UFC BJJ 7
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The action went to the mat immediately, as both women looked to establish the first offensive opening of the match. Fornarino looked happy to work off her back, while Enriques attempted to apply pressure from on top. But as the action played out, both women ended up on the mat with their legs entangled before a leg-lock battle ensued.
Fornarino and Enriquez traded ankle locks as both women backed their leg-locking skills against the other, and it was Fornarino who prevailed as she switched techniques and locked up a kneebar to force the tap and claim the first-round submission finish.
Heavyweight - Declan Moody defeats Patrick Gaudio via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:38
Aussie grappler Declan Moody was all set to face Nicholas Meregali inside the Bowl, but after a late change during fight week, Meregali’s teammate Patrick Gaudio agreed to step in to keep the matchup alive. Moody adapted to the opponent change with the minimum of fuss as he secured a first-round submission on his UFC BJJ debut.
Gaudio conceded height and weight to Moody, and eventually the strength and power advantage proved decisive as Moody forced Gaudio onto his back. Gaudio attempted to lock up a heel hook, but Moody defended smartly to avoid trouble. Moody then transitioned to Gaudio’s back and locked up a rear-naked choke to force the tap mid-way through the opening round.
It was a super-impressive performance as he produced a first-round finish, and made it look easy as he put the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions on notice with an emphatic finish.
Featherweight - Raphael Ferreira defeats Kenzo Biyong via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:05
The spectacular Raphael Ferreira produced an attention-grabbing first-round finish as the 18-year-old phenom from Utah claimed a rear-naked choke submission of Dutch featherweight Kenzo Biyong.
The action was fast and furious as both men launched themselves head-first into the Bowl for their featherweight matchup, but once they started to engage, it was Ferreira who was playing offense throughout as he forced Biyong into a series of disadvantageous positions. Then, when the opportunity presented itself, the lightning-fast Ferreira took Biyong’s back and instantly locked up a rear-naked choke.
Biyong gamely tried to resist, but Ferreira adjusted his hold and forced the tap as he completed a dream debut with a crowd-pleasing first-round submission win.
Women’s Featherweight - Rana Willink defeats Carol Joia via submission (kneebar) – Round 3, 2:34
The opening match of the night saw Rana Willink claim her first win in the UFC BJJ Bowl as she kept up the pressure to eventually submit Carol Joia via third-round kneebar.
Joia started aggressively and immediately landed a double-leg takedown against the slope of the Bowl. But her early aggression was checked as Willink snatched up a front headlock to halt the Brazilian’s momentum. The pair remained locked up as they clinched their way around the Bowl, each looking for an opening, and it was eventually Joia who found the space to land another takedown. Willink easily worked her way back to her feet, but found her attempts to initiate offense largely stifled by Joia as the pair remained stuck to each other like limpets until the final 10 seconds of the opening round.
Willink looked to turn Joia’s aggression to her own advantage early in Round 2 as she pulled guard, but Joia smartly kept away from danger, before eventually engaging from top position. Willink looked to find room for a Choi bar, but Joia was wise to it. Then, as the round wore on, Willink kept the pressure on and attempted to lock up a kneebar. The American then transitioned away from the hold and attempted to lock up a Kimura, but time ran out before she could isolate Joia’s arm.
With the matchup seemingly hanging in the balance heading into the final round, both women upped the intensity as they chased a third-round finish. Willink came close to locking up a guillotine choke as Joia pushed forward looking to force the action up the slope. Then, as Joia looked to work an opening from Willink’s back, Willink transitioned beautifully to a kneebar and torqued the hold to force the quick tap and secure a third-round finish.