By Philipp — Rollbook · Updated October 18, 2026
UFC BJJ 2026: Schedule, Results & Champions — The Complete Event Guide
Every UFC BJJ event in 2026 with dates, results, and current champions — plus the format, how to watch on UFC Fight Pass, the UFC BJJ Opens, and what's next: UFC BJJ 13 (Oct 29) and UFC BJJ 14 (Dec 3).
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UFC BJJ in 2026: The Rolling Guide
UFC BJJ has gone from a reality-show experiment to the busiest professional grappling promotion in the world in barely a year — roughly monthly cards, a championship ladder across eight divisions, and an open-entry feeder series. This page is the rolling guide: every 2026 event with its headline result, the current champions, the format, and the next cards — updated after each event.
Update (October 2026): This guide now runs through UFC BJJ 12 (October 8). Since our August edition, Andrew Tackett made his fourth welterweight defense and Brianna Ste-Marie won the women's featherweight title at UFC BJJ 10; UFC BJJ moved from free YouTube streams to UFC Fight Pass at UFC BJJ 11, where Mason Fowler kept his belt on a split draw with Nicky Rodriguez; and at UFC BJJ 12 Cassia Moura became the promotion's first double champion while Renato Canuto won the vacant lightweight title. Mikey Musumeci has since vacated the bantamweight title to focus on MMA. Next up: UFC BJJ 13 on October 29 and UFC BJJ 14 on December 3.
For how UFC BJJ fits into the wider 2026 landscape — the CJI 3 cancellation-and-revival saga it helped trigger, and the FloGrappling streaming consolidation it competes against — see our companion pieces. For the no-gi season's other pole, ADCC 2026 ran September 12-13 in Krakow: ADCC 2026 results and champions here.
What Is UFC BJJ?
UFC BJJ is the UFC's submission grappling promotion, founded in 2025 under UFC president Dana White (with Cláudia Gadelha leading jiu-jitsu strategy) and owned by TKO Group Holdings. It launched with UFC BJJ: Road to the Title — an eight-episode competition series released June 2025 on UFC Fight Pass and YouTube, coached by Mikey Musumeci and Rerisson Gabriel — which fed the finalists into UFC BJJ 1 (June 25, 2025), where Musumeci, Carlos Henrique, and Andrew Tackett became the first bantamweight, lightweight, and welterweight champions.
Every numbered event so far has run at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (billed as the Meta Apex since early 2026). The first ten streamed free on the UFC BJJ YouTube channel — a deliberate audience-building play while most of the no-gi world sat behind subscriptions. From UFC BJJ 11 (September 24, 2026), cards stream on UFC Fight Pass, the UFC's subscription service; for UFC BJJ 11, YouTube carried only the first two matches.
The Format: Rounds, Judges, and "The Bowl"
UFC BJJ is not points jiu-jitsu, and it is not pure submission-only either:
- Three rounds of five minutes, no-gi.
- Submission first: if no finish, judges score on the 10-point must system, weighing (1) initiation of bout-ending techniques, (2) initiation of action, (3) duration of control — in that order.
- "The Bowl": a bowl-shaped play area whose curved walls push athletes back into engagement, the grappling equivalent of the Octagon's fence.
It sits between the ADCC ruleset (submission-hunting rewarded, points late) and something entirely new. For how rulesets shape styles, see our ADCC vs IBJJF comparison.
Current Champions (October 2026)
Men
| Division | Champion | Champion Since | Title Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight (≤205 lbs) | Mason Fowler | UFC BJJ 2 (Jul 31, 2025) | 2, plus a split draw (UFC BJJ 11) |
| Middleweight (≤185 lbs) | Ronaldo Júnior — see note | UFC BJJ 4 (Dec 11, 2025) | 1 |
| Welterweight (≤170 lbs) | Andrew Tackett | UFC BJJ 1 (Jun 25, 2025) | 4 |
| Lightweight (≤155 lbs) | Renato Canuto | UFC BJJ 12 (Oct 8, 2026) | 0 |
| Bantamweight | Vacant | — | — |
Middleweight note: after UFC BJJ 11, UFC still described Ronaldo Júnior as the middleweight champion. It now bills William Tackett vs. Jay Rodriguez at UFC BJJ 13 as a match "for the middleweight title" (UFC BJJ hub), and Júnior is not on that card. Wikipedia reports he is giving up the belt because of an injury that needs surgery; we have not found a UFC statement confirming it.
Bantamweight note: Mikey Musumeci, the division's only champion so far (four title wins, all by submission), vacated the belt in October 2026 to focus on MMA and plans to keep doing UFC BJJ superfights (Yahoo Sports). Jalen Fonacier and Kleber Barboza meet for the vacant title at UFC BJJ 13.
Lightweight note: Lucas Valente won the belt at UFC BJJ 7 (April 2) with a last-round leg lock over Carlos Henrique, and the title was later vacated. Renato Canuto won it at UFC BJJ 12 with a unanimous decision over Ethan Crelinsten. Correction: our August edition, citing Tapology, listed Canuto vs. Crelinsten for UFC BJJ 10; the match was not on UFC BJJ 10's official card and took place at UFC BJJ 12.
Women
| Division | Champion | Champion Since | Title Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Featherweight | Brianna Ste-Marie | UFC BJJ 10 (Aug 20, 2026) | 0 |
| Bantamweight | Cassia Moura | UFC BJJ 6 (Mar 12, 2026) | 1 |
| Flyweight (≤125 lbs) | Cassia Moura | UFC BJJ 12 (Oct 8, 2026) | 0 |
The women's featherweight belt has changed hands twice: Aurélie Le Vern won the inaugural title at UFC BJJ 4 (Kimura over Raquel Canuto), Rebeca Lima took it from her at UFC BJJ 7, and Brianna Ste-Marie submitted Lima with an arm-triangle choke at UFC BJJ 10.
The women's flyweight grand prix announced for UFC BJJ 10 created the third women's division. Moura (armbar over Bre Stikk) and Adele Fornarino (straight ankle lock over Carol Brunacio) won the semifinals at UFC BJJ 10, and Moura took the inaugural title from Fornarino by split decision at UFC BJJ 12 — a verdict widely called controversial — to become UFC BJJ's first double champion.
2026 Schedule and Results
All events at the Meta Apex, Las Vegas. UFC BJJ 5-10 streamed free on YouTube; from UFC BJJ 11, cards stream on UFC Fight Pass.
| Event | Date | Headline Results |
|---|---|---|
| UFC BJJ 5 | Feb 12, 2026 | Musumeci def. Montague (bantamweight title defense); Ronaldo Júnior def. Tarik Hopstock (middleweight defense) |
| UFC BJJ 6 | Mar 12, 2026 | Fowler def. Pedro Machado (light heavyweight defense); Cassia Moura wins the women's bantamweight title |
| UFC BJJ 7 | Apr 2, 2026 | Tackett def. Rocha (welterweight defense); Lucas Valente submits Carlos Henrique for the lightweight title; Rebeca Lima wins the women's featherweight title |
| UFC BJJ 8 | May 21, 2026 | Musumeci def. Dantzler by heel hook (bantamweight defense); Moura def. Gondim (women's bantamweight defense); UFC BJJ Opens announced — full recap |
| UFC BJJ 9 | Jun 4, 2026 | Fowler def. Devhonte Johnson by rear-naked choke (light heavyweight defense); Gilbert Burns wins his grappling return by submission; Bella Mir submits Nichelle Johnson — UFC results page |
| UFC BJJ 10 | Aug 20, 2026 | Andrew Tackett def. Jonnatas Gracie by face crank in Round 1 (welterweight defense); Brianna Ste-Marie submits Rebeca Lima for the women's featherweight title; Moura and Fornarino win the flyweight GP semifinals — UFC results |
| UFC BJJ 11 | Sep 24, 2026 | Musumeci def. UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell by unanimous decision (non-title, 145 lbs); Fowler vs. Nicky Rodriguez ruled a split draw, so Fowler keeps the light heavyweight title; first card on UFC Fight Pass — UFC results |
| UFC BJJ 12 | Oct 8, 2026 | Cassia Moura def. Adele Fornarino by split decision for the inaugural women's flyweight title; Renato Canuto def. Ethan Crelinsten by unanimous decision for the vacant lightweight title; Gabriel Almeida heel-hooks Gilbert Burns in his debut — UFC results |
| UFC BJJ 13 | Oct 29, 2026 | Upcoming — card below |
| UFC BJJ 14 | Dec 3, 2026 | Upcoming — card not yet announced |
The 2025 Season (Events 1-4)
| Event | Date | Headline Results |
|---|---|---|
| UFC BJJ 1 | Jun 25, 2025 | Inaugural champions crowned: Musumeci (bantamweight), Carlos Henrique (lightweight), Tackett (welterweight) |
| UFC BJJ 2 | Jul 31, 2025 | Tackett def. Canuto (first welterweight defense); Mason Fowler def. David Garmo for the light heavyweight title |
| UFC BJJ 3 | Oct 2, 2025 | Musumeci def. Carrasco (bantamweight defense) |
| UFC BJJ 4 | Dec 11, 2025 | Ronaldo Júnior def. William Tackett for the inaugural middleweight title; Andrew Tackett def. Dorsey (welterweight defense); Aurélie Le Vern submits Raquel Canuto for the inaugural women's featherweight title — UFC results |
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Up Next
UFC BJJ 13 — Thursday, October 29, 2026
Two title matches at the Meta Apex, live on UFC Fight Pass at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, per the official UFC BJJ hub:
- William Tackett vs. Jay Rodriguez — middleweight title. Tackett lost the inaugural middleweight title match to Ronaldo Júnior at UFC BJJ 4 and heel-hooked Fedor Nikolov at UFC BJJ 10; Rodriguez submitted Kevin Beuhring with an inverted D'Arce choke at UFC BJJ 11.
- Jalen Fonacier vs. Kleber Barboza — vacant bantamweight title. Fonacier, Musumeci's teammate, beat Mourece Ramirez by unanimous decision at UFC BJJ 10; Barboza makes his promotional debut in a title match after winning the first UFC BJJ Open in Las Vegas.
- Nicky Rodriguez and Ffion Davies are also on the card, per Yahoo Sports.
UFC BJJ 14 — Thursday, December 3, 2026
Meta Apex, Las Vegas, on UFC Fight Pass. The card has not been announced yet.
UFC BJJ Opens
The open-entry Opens series, for youth and adult competitors, started in Las Vegas on August 22 and went to Phoenix on September 12. Still to come in 2026:
- Indianapolis — Saturday, October 24, at the Best Choice Field House in Fishers, Indiana
- Denver — Saturday-Sunday, November 21-22, at the CoBank Arena at the National Western Center
Registration links for both are on the UFC BJJ hub.
Why UFC BJJ Is Reshaping Pro Grappling
Four structural moves explain why one promotion changed the 2026 landscape:
- Free broadcasts first, then the paywall. While FloGrappling consolidated Polaris, WNO, IBJJF majors, and ADCC coverage under one subscription, UFC BJJ streamed its first ten cards free on YouTube to build an audience. From UFC BJJ 11 it moved behind UFC Fight Pass — the classic grow-then-monetize sequence.
- Monthly cadence on exclusive contracts. A contracted roster and a numbered event roughly every month produces the only weekly news cycle in grappling. Craig Jones cited exactly this model — amateur-funded, contracted, scaled — when he cancelled CJI 3 in May.
- The talent flow has started. The starkest case: 2024 ADCC double champion Adele Fornarino withdrew from ADCC 2026 and pointed to UFC BJJ as the promotion giving women equal billing. She went on to headline UFC BJJ 12, losing the inaugural flyweight title match to Moura on a split decision.
- The Opens feeder is already working. The UFC BJJ Opens, announced in May, are open-entry tournaments that UFC calls "not a guaranteed pathway" to a contract — yet Opens competitors Daniel Deeder and Mason Stritzel won on their debuts at UFC BJJ 11, Kade Anastasios followed at UFC BJJ 12, and Las Vegas Open winner Kleber Barboza goes straight into a title match at UFC BJJ 13. That puts UFC BJJ in direct competition with ADCC Trials and IBJJF Opens for regional registrations.
Common Questions
How do I watch UFC BJJ events?
On UFC Fight Pass. The first ten numbered cards streamed free on the UFC BJJ YouTube channel, but from UFC BJJ 11 (September 24, 2026) the full card is on Fight Pass; YouTube carried only the first two matches of UFC BJJ 11. The schedule and Fight Pass replays are linked from the official UFC BJJ hub.
Is UFC BJJ submission-only?
No. Submissions are the priority, but bouts that go the distance are scored on the 10-point must system, judged by bout-ending initiations first, action second, control third.
How often are UFC BJJ events?
Roughly once a month: ten numbered cards in 2026 (UFC BJJ 5 through 14), with gaps of two to eleven weeks between them, all at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas so far.
Can regular competitors get in?
That is the point of the UFC BJJ Opens — open-entry tournaments for youth and adult competitors, running since August 2026. UFC calls them "not a guaranteed pathway" into UFC BJJ, but Opens competitors have already appeared on UFC BJJ 11 and 12, and Las Vegas Open winner Kleber Barboza fights for the vacant bantamweight title at UFC BJJ 13.
What are the weight classes?
Eight championship divisions: five men's (bantamweight, lightweight ≤155, welterweight ≤170, middleweight ≤185, light heavyweight ≤205) and three women's (flyweight ≤125, bantamweight, featherweight). Non-title matches also run at other weights, such as men's featherweight (145 lbs) and women's strawweight.
Key Takeaway
UFC BJJ heads into the end of 2026 with eight championship divisions, its first double champion in Cassia Moura, a new lightweight champion in Renato Canuto, and a vacant bantamweight title after Mikey Musumeci's move toward MMA. UFC BJJ 13 on October 29 carries two title matches (Tackett vs. Rodriguez and Fonacier vs. Barboza), and UFC BJJ 14 follows on December 3. The free-YouTube era ended with UFC BJJ 10 — cards now stream on UFC Fight Pass — while the Opens feeder is already putting its competitors on the pro card. Bookmark this page; it's updated after every card.
Official Sources
- UFC BJJ official hub — schedule, broadcasts, upcoming cards, Opens registration
- Wikipedia — UFC BJJ — event list, championship history, ruleset
- UFC — UFC BJJ 4 results
- UFC — UFC BJJ 9 results
- UFC — UFC BJJ 10 fight card and results
- UFC — UFC BJJ 11 fight card (first card on UFC Fight Pass) and results
- UFC — UFC BJJ 12 results
- UFC — UFC BJJ Opens launch announcement
- Yahoo Sports — Musumeci vacates the bantamweight title
- Jits Magazine — women's flyweight GP announcement
- MMA Mania — Fornarino to UFC BJJ
- MMA Sucka — the disputed flyweight title decision
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