Gala performances closed out the UFC BJJ event season in style, as the league wrapped up 2025 with its fourth edition and three title fights. Andrew Tackett is one of the promotion’s biggest stars for a very obvious reason: the welterweight champion has everything the UFC wants in terms of grappling entertainment, with a fighting style that leaves no room for boredom and creative attacks that end in a show. In the main event of UFC BJJ 4, held in Las Vegas on the 11th, Tackett faced challenger Elijah Dorsey.
The heel hook submission came in the very first round, but that doesn’t mean the welterweight belt wasn’t in danger. Andrew’s win came on the counterattack, since Elijah had jumped first on a leg attack. Once the heel hook was locked in, Dorsey, who came close to dethroning the champion, had no choice but to tap.
The inaugural middleweight title went to Ronaldo Junior, an athlete who earned the opportunity throughout his UFC journey, going back to the Fight Pass Invitational. In the co-main event, Ronaldo faced William Tackett, Andrew’s brother, who was determined to bring another title to the family. The American built an early lead in the opening minutes, which was soon cut short by Ronaldo’s response as he adopted a more offensive approach. Over the 15 minutes of the match, Tackett was forced to survive against an opponent hyper-focused on the submission, with repeated choke attempts, mainly triangle variations.
AURELIE LE VERN, ‘LOIRINHA’, REACHES HER GRAPPLING PEAK BY WINNING A UFC BJJ BELT
France’s Aurelie Le Vern made history by winning the UFC BJJ women’s featherweight belt. Across from the Six Blades black belt was Raquel Canuto, a feared athlete in the promotion and a natural choice for a title fight.
Aurelie, who also has a solid Luta Livre base, wasted no time once the referee started the action, finding her path to victory after taking the match to the ground. That’s when Aurelie turned her strategy into a trap, trapping Canuto in a reverse triangle. In that position, the trailing competitor’s arm was left exposed, an opening quickly spotted by the Frenchwoman, who took advantage of the vulnerability to attack with an inescapable kimura. The UFC BJJ title takes the career of Aurelie, an ADCC trials champion, to an even higher level.
Andy Varela has been doing a good job of staying on the radar for future UFC BJJ opportunities. The American athlete scored another submission win against Robby Mallof. The match went into the third round, and included a hand injury to Mallof, who wanted to keep fighting, two medical stoppages, and trash talk. Varela’s lunge at his opponent’s foot in the third round resulted in a heel hook submission win.
The bout that opened the UFC BJJ featherweight division showed that Landon Elmore is an athlete with the potential to soar in the promotion. Against Nate Hernandez, he took the initiative efficiently to complete his mission quickly. His first attack was bold, a flying triangle attempt, but Hernandez’s defense steered him into a guillotine attack that helped him keep up the pressure. Before the clock hit one minute, Elmore beat Hernandez with an Aoki lock.
RENATO CANUTO AND MAYSSA BASTOS WIN MATCHES DECIDED BY THE JUDGES
Renato Canuto returned to the win column against Alan Sanchez. The Brazilian, known for his spectacular submissions, didn’t get the quick finish, but won by unanimous decision thanks to an approach that constantly put his opponent in danger.
Mayssa Bastos is a multiple-time IBJJF champion in gi and no-gi, but in UFC BJJ she is still a new face. The black belt, who trains at the Mendes brothers’ AOJ in California, had her hand raised after three rounds of a close match with Tubby Alequin. With a slight edge on the judges’ scorecards, Mayssa won by unanimous decision.
Coming off a win at the previous UFC BJJ event, Samuel Nagai had his game neutralized by Dorian Olivarez, who overcame the Brazilian’s strategy with enough aggression to be declared the winner by unanimous decision. Now, Dorian wants a title shot against lightweight champion Carlos Henrique.
After a successful debut at the first UFC BJJ event, the talented Bella Mir faced a tougher challenge at the fourth edition. The first women’s match on the card was also closely contested, but Mir was more offensive and smarter on defense. The daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir won by majority decision.
UFC veteran Jussier ‘Formiga’ was booked to grapple against Lucas Pinheiro, a gi and no-gi Jiu-Jitsu world champion. His debut in a different discipline within the promotion that made him famous couldn’t have gone better. After losing the first round, Jussier recalculated his route to get the better of Lucas. With sharper wrestling and good use of physical strength, ‘Formiga’ wrapped up another UFC assignment with a unanimous decision win.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
