UFC BJJ 13 takes place this Thursday, October 29, at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, with two title fights. In the main event, William Tackett and Jay Rodriguez, known as Jay Rod, will decide the new middleweight champion, a title left vacant after Brazil’s Ronaldo Junior gave it up. In the co-main event, Jalen Fonacier and Kleber Barbosa fight for the bantamweight belt that belonged to Mikey Musumeci.
There are nine matches in total, streamed on UFC Fight Pass, with a series of debuts in the UFC’s grappling league. The card mixes IBJJF world champions, an ADCC champion and names already familiar to fans of the fighting bowl, the round mat where the matches take place.
SECOND CHANCE: WILLIAM TACKETT WANTS TO BRING ANOTHER BELT HOME TO THE FAMILY
William Tackett already knows what it’s like to fight for the middleweight title. The brother of welterweight champion Andrew Tackett, he lost a unanimous decision to Ronaldo Junior in the match that crowned the division’s first champion. Since then, he has bounced back with two heel hook submissions: at UFC BJJ 8, he caught Brazil’s Manuel Ribamar in the final seconds of the first round, and at UFC BJJ 10 he submitted Russia’s Fedor Nikolov in the second round, right before asking for another title shot, as The Mat Nation reported in the story announcing the fight for the belt vacated by Ronaldo Junior.
Across from him is a high-profile newcomer. Jay Rod needed just one match to earn a title shot. In September, at UFC BJJ 11, he submitted Kevin Beuhring with an inverted D’Arce in the second round. The younger brother of Nicky Rod, Jay now has the chance to do what his brother has yet to achieve: leave the bowl with a belt around his waist.
THE FASTEST IN HISTORY VS. THE UFC BJJ OPEN CHAMPION FOR BANTAMWEIGHT GOLD
The co-main event pits two very different paths to the title. Jalen Fonacier, ‘The Future’, holds the fastest submission in UFC BJJ history and is one of the promotion’s most exciting athletes. Kleber Barbosa earned the biggest opportunity of his career after winning the UFC BJJ Open in Las Vegas, where he got past four opponents. The winner inherits the belt that belonged to Mikey Musumeci, who gave it up to focus on MMA.
NATÃ TENCA DEBUTS AGAINST NICKY ROD, ONE OF GRAPPLING’S GIANTS
At light heavyweight, Nick Rodriguez returns to the bowl just over a month after his title fight against champion Mason Fowler at UFC BJJ 11 ended in a split draw. A convincing win could earn him a rematch for the title. His opponent is Brazil’s Natã Tenca, who won an IBJJF world title in 2026 and, soon after, received his black belt from André Galvão. Tenca started grappling in 2019 and makes his promotional debut against one of the biggest names in the sport.
On the women’s side, Wales’s Ffion Davies, who lost a split decision to Cassia Moura for the first bantamweight belt at UFC BJJ 6, wants to move closer to a rematch. She faces newcomer Jaine Fragoso, a leg lock specialist. Jasmine Rocha, an ADCC champion and ADCC Miami winner, debuts against Brazil’s Karen Antunes, an IBJJF world champion in both gi and no-gi.
DEBUTS AND WORLD CHAMPIONS ROUND OUT THE LAS VEGAS CARD
The rest of the night has its draws too. At heavyweight, Pat Downey, a former NCAA Division I wrestling All-American, debuts against Ian Daube, a two-time IBJJF no-gi world champion. Canada’s Liam Crelinsten, who submitted Max Livingston with a rear-naked choke at UFC BJJ 8, takes on Kazakhstan’s Seilkhan Bolatbek, a 2026 IBJJF world champion.
At middleweight, Mexico’s Martin Gonzalez returns from knee ligament surgery to debut against Brazil’s João Nicolite, a Davi Ramos black belt. Opening the card, Tristan Sainz, a product of the academy his father founded in Miami, faces David Weintraub, a veteran of the Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds, in another matchup of newcomers.
FULL UFC BJJ 13 CARD:
MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE: William Tackett vs. Jay Rodriguez
BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE: Jalen Fonacier vs. Kleber Barbosa
Light heavyweight: Nick Rodriguez vs. Natã Tenca
Women’s bantamweight: Ffion Davies vs. Jaine Fragoso
Women’s flyweight: Jasmine Rocha vs. Karen Antunes
Heavyweight: Pat Downey vs. Ian Daube
Welterweight: Liam Crelinsten vs. Seilkhan Bolatbek
Middleweight: Martin Gonzalez vs. João Nicolite
Lightweight: Tristan Sainz vs. David Weintraub
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
