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Two vacant belts, two new champions. William Tackett joined his brother Andrew at the top in 86 seconds. Jalen Fonacier avenged a loss to Kleber Barbosa. And Nick Rodriguez demanded his rematch with Mason Fowler. UFC BJJ 13 delivered nine matches and six submissions on October 29 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Full results, fight-by-fight analysis and takeaways.
Eighty-six seconds. That is all William Tackett needed to claim the vacant middleweight title against Jay Rodriguez. A double leg absorbed, an instant get-up, a back take and a rear-naked choke. With that win, the Tacketts become the first brothers to hold two UFC BJJ belts at the same time. In the co-main event, Jalen Fonacier picked up the bantamweight title vacated by Mikey Musumeci. He outpointed an opponent who had already beaten him in the gi. The night also saw Nick Rodriguez, Ffion Davies and Jasmine Rocha finish cleanly. Not to mention a 19-year-old debutant asking for a contract on the mic. Nine matches, two titles, six submissions: here is everything you need to know about UFC BJJ 13.
In this article12
- UFC BJJ 13 results at a glance
- Who won the UFC BJJ 13 main event?
- Jalen Fonacier bantamweight champion, revenge on Barbosa
- Nick Rodriguez submits Tenca and calls out Fowler
- Ffion Davies strings together a second first-round finish
- Jasmine Rocha, 38 seconds and a controversy
- Pat Downey wears down Ian Daube
- Liam Crelinsten moves to 2-0 and eyes Andrew Tackett
- João Nicolite gets off the mark against Martin Gonzalez
- Tristan Sainz, 19, opens the night and asks for a contract
- UFC BJJ 13 takeaways: two titles, one message
- FAQ: UFC BJJ 13 in brief
UFC BJJ 13 results at a glance
| Main event 185 lb title | William Tackett def. Jay Rodriguez Submission (rear-naked choke) · round 1, 1:26 · new champion |
| Co-main event 135 lb title | Jalen Fonacier def. Kleber Barbosa Unanimous decision · new champion |
| Light heavyweight | Nick Rodriguez def. Nata Tenca Submission (arm-triangle) · round 3, 3:07 |
| Women’s bantamweight | Ffion Davies def. Jaine Fragoso Submission (arm-triangle) · round 1, 2:07 |
| Women’s flyweight | Jasmine Rocha def. Karen Antunes Submission (armbar) · round 1, 0:38 |
| Heavyweight | Pat Downey def. Ian Daube Unanimous decision |
| Welterweight | Liam Crelinsten def. Seilkhan Bolatbek Submission (heel hook) · round 2, 1:26 |
| Middleweight | João Nicolite def. Martin Gonzalez Unanimous decision |
| Lightweight | Tristan Sainz def. David Weintraub Submission (rear-naked choke) · round 1, 4:53 |
Submission of the Night: William Tackett · Performances of the Night: Ffion Davies, Liam Crelinsten and Tristan Sainz
Sources: official UFC.com results and awards announced by UFC BJJ, October 30, 2026.
As with the two previous events, the night was reserved for UFC Fight Pass subscribers, where the full replay remains available.
Who won the UFC BJJ 13 main event?
William Tackett submitted Jay Rodriguez with a rear-naked choke at 1:26 of the first round to claim the vacant middleweight title. Beaten by Ronaldo Junior for the inaugural belt at UFC BJJ 4, the elder Tackett made his second chance count. He joins his brother Andrew, the welterweight champion, and the two become the first brothers to hold two UFC BJJ belts simultaneously. Submission of the Night, naturally.
A double leg absorbed, then 86 seconds of control
Rodriguez started explosively. A blast double in the opening seconds, Tackett driven to the mat. But by the time J-Rod could settle on top, Tackett was already back up. He immediately took the initiative and found his opponent’s back. Within seconds, the rear-naked choke was locked in. Tackett squeezed, adjusted, and Rodriguez eventually tapped. Match over before the second minute.
At the mic: “take the chance, get the sub, or die trying”
The new champion used the mic to send a message to the whole roster. In his view, too many athletes are not seizing the opportunity the UFC is giving them. “I’m seeing all these matches in this Bowl, you guys are not taking the chances that the UFC is giving you. Take the chance, get the sub, or die trying. We want exciting matches, guys. We’ve got to push this sport.” He pointed to his own fight as the example. Two men meeting in the middle from the first second, a headbutt, a double leg across the ring. “That’s how it has to be. We can’t just be butt-scooting and chasing each other down, or just hanging on each other’s heads and collar ties.” Tackett promised title defenses in the same spirit. A speech that resonates after the controversial Fowler-Rodriguez draw at UFC BJJ 11.
Jalen Fonacier bantamweight champion, revenge on Barbosa
The UFC BJJ 13 co-main event put the bantamweight belt vacated by Mikey Musumeci, now off to MMA, back in play. Jalen Fonacier claimed it by unanimous decision over Kleber Barbosa. A personal revenge: the Brazilian had beaten him in the gi. In the Bowl, in no-gi, “The Future” dictated the match.
Fifteen minutes of leg hunting
The match hit the mat straight away. Fonacier pulled guard and isolated a leg. Barbosa smartly escaped and threatened a leg lock of his own before Fonacier moved on top. Another leg attack, another heel hook attempt, another Brazilian escape. Fonacier then took the back, locked up a body triangle and hunted the rear-naked choke. Barbosa stayed compact and survived the round without giving up any space.
The second round followed the same script. Fonacier to the mat early, Barbosa accepting the leg exchange. The American appeared to have the deeper hold and tried to roll into a match-winning position, but Barbosa escaped. Fonacier then torqued a footlock to a nasty-looking angle. The Brazilian calmly refused to tap, then worked free to end up on top. Stacked, Fonacier went back on the attack until the horn.
In the third, Barbosa attacked early. Fonacier countered with another heel hook, without full purchase. The Brazilian pushed the pace on position, but the American remained the more active submission hunter. After fifteen minutes at that tempo, the judges did not hesitate. Fonacier is champion, and his UFC BJJ record moves to 5-0.
Nick Rodriguez submits Tenca and calls out Fowler
Five weeks after his frustrating draw with Mason Fowler, Nick Rodriguez returned to the Bowl with one goal: get back in line. Mission accomplished against Brazil’s Nata Tenca, submitted by arm-triangle at 3:07 of the third round. Total domination.
Nicky Rod came flying out of his corner. Tenca shoved onto his back, and five minutes of relentless pressure chasing a quick finish. The Brazilian defended well and minimized the openings. In the second round, same story: Rodriguez on top, into half guard, then side control, then mount. He glanced at an Ezekiel, then threatened a leg lock. Tenca survived, fairly comfortably.
The third round was a copy of the first two, only faster. Tenca to the mat, Rodriguez in mount almost immediately. Referee Jason Herzog deducted a point from Tenca for stalling. Rodriguez then turned up the pressure, locked up an arm-triangle, slid to the side and forced the tap. At the mic, he was direct: he wants his rematch for the 205-pound title. And he will be waiting for Fowler whenever the champion returns to the Bowl.
Ffion Davies strings together a second first-round finish
Wales’s Ffion Davies continues her march toward another bantamweight title shot. Against Jaine Fragoso, she scored her second straight first-round finish, by arm-triangle at 2:07. Performance of the Night.
Davies had talked about adapting to the faster format of five-minute rounds. It showed. A far more aggressive start than usual, Fragoso dragged into guard then swept to put Davies on top. Once established, the Welshwoman cut precisely to side control, moved straight into mount and locked up the head-and-arm choke. Tap. Davies repeated it at the mic: her goal remains the bantamweight belt. Ideally with a rematch against Cassia Moura, who beat her for the inaugural title.
Jasmine Rocha, 38 seconds and a controversy
At flyweight, Jasmine Rocha dispatched Karen Antunes in 38 seconds with an armbar. The fastest finish of the night, and the only disputed one.
Rocha moved to Antunes’s back and locked up the armbar right away. As she extended it, the Brazilian tapped quickly and referee Chris Brennan stopped the match. Antunes immediately protested: according to her, she had “slapped” Rocha, not tapped. The official stood by his call, and the replays backed him up. Rocha, for her part, is looking further ahead. She announced she wants to launch the future strawweight division as its inaugural champion.
Pat Downey wears down Ian Daube
The heavyweight duel between Pat Downey and Ian Daube was decided by aggression and position rather than submission attempts. Unanimous decision for Downey after a tactical battle between two evenly matched men.
A first round without a single takedown, the two wrestlers canceling each other out on the feet. Midway through the second, Downey managed to take Daube down, without creating any offensive opening. Then, early in the third, he got the action to the ground again. Straight to Daube’s back, hunting a rear-naked choke. Daube snuffed out the threat but found himself stuck on the bottom, Downey glued to him and riding his back. No hooks, no full back take, but constant pressure until the horn. The aggression of rounds two and three was enough for the judges.
Liam Crelinsten moves to 2-0 and eyes Andrew Tackett
Three weeks after his brother Ethan’s loss in the lightweight title fight, Liam Crelinsten carried Canada’s colors at welterweight. Against Kazakhstan’s Seilkhan Bolatbek, he scored a heel hook win at 1:26 of the second round. Enough to earn a Performance of the Night award.
Bolatbek engaged quickly and forced the Canadian to work from his guard. Aggressive from the top, the Kazakh never pierced a defense Crelinsten held with ease. Later in the round, the Canadian turned the tables and put Bolatbek on his back. He flowed through a succession of transitions and almost took the back before the horn. In the second round, Crelinsten took control and isolated his opponent’s left leg. Then he rolled belly down and forced the tap with the heel hook. At the mic, he asked for another welterweight matchup. At 3-0, he says, he will be ready for Andrew Tackett’s title.
João Nicolite gets off the mark against Martin Gonzalez
Beaten by Nick Rodriguez on his light heavyweight debut, Brazil’s João Nicolite dropped down to middleweight. Against Mexico’s Martin Gonzalez, he claimed his first win in the Bowl by unanimous decision. A match that started at full throttle before grinding to a halt.
Gonzalez showcased his speed from the outset: a lightning back take, a switch to a nearly locked armbar, then a flying triangle that just missed. Nicolite stayed composed through that frenetic opening. He slowed the match down at the midway point by pressuring from inside the Mexican’s guard, then tying him up on the feet. Gonzalez kept pushing, but never put the Brazilian in any real danger.
The second round belonged to Nicolite. Heavy, controlled pressure to drain Gonzalez’s gas tank, with the Mexican on defense for most of the round. Gonzalez briefly threatened an armbar and attempted a last-gasp leg lock, without success. In the third, the Brazilian controlled most of the action. He also offered the only real submission attempt of the round, a late toe hold. Unanimous decision, and a first UFC BJJ win for Nicolite.
Tristan Sainz, 19, opens the night and asks for a contract
The first match of UFC BJJ 13 got the night off to a flying start. Lightweight Tristan Sainz, 19, submitted David Weintraub with a rear-naked choke at 4:53 of the first round on his Bowl debut. Performance of the Night, and a post-match interview to remember.
Sainz attacked from the start. After working an opening, he took the action to the ground and landed in side control. Weintraub tried to roll out of danger, but Sainz saw it coming and locked up a D’Arce. Weintraub kept his neck out of danger without escaping cleanly, and Sainz went back to it on every attempted exit. The youngster eventually disengaged to reset. Takedown against the slope of the Bowl, a fist pump to the crowd, back take, rear-naked choke, tap.
At the mic, Sainz gave an enthusiastic interview. He asked Claudia Gadelha for a UFC BJJ contract live. Then he promised to one day capture the lightweight title Renato Canuto just won. After Stritzel, Deeder and Anastasios, the Bowl keeps producing very young talent.
UFC BJJ 13 takeaways: two titles, one message
Thirteen events in, and two belts changing hands. The first champion brothers in the promotion’s history, with the Tacketts at 170 and 185 pounds. A bantamweight division taken over by Fonacier, now 5-0 in the Bowl, three weeks after Musumeci’s departure. And contenders lining up. Nicky Rod wants Fowler, Ffion Davies wants Moura, Liam Crelinsten is eyeing Andrew Tackett, Jasmine Rocha wants a strawweight division with her name on it.
The real story of the night, though, is William Tackett’s speech. By publicly demanding more risk-taking from his peers, the new champion put words to a real tension. Recent events have made it visible. Three of nine matches went to the judges tonight, including a Downey-Daube with no serious submission attempt. Under the UFC BJJ ruleset, submission attempts rank above control. But you still have to attempt them. To understand how this system differs from the IBJJF, our article on point scoring in BJJ compares both logics.
After UFC BJJ 13, the year’s final event on December 3
UFC BJJ 14 is scheduled for December 3, 2026 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The full card has yet to be revealed. In between, the Denver UFC BJJ Open (November 21 and 22) will feed the pipeline. Until then, read our UFC BJJ 12 recap and test your knowledge with our BJJ quizzes. For the technical terms in this article, head to our BJJ glossary.
FAQ: UFC BJJ 13 in brief
Who won UFC BJJ 13?
William Tackett won the UFC BJJ 13 main event by submitting Jay Rodriguez with a rear-naked choke at 1:26 of the first round. He becomes middleweight champion. In the co-main event, Jalen Fonacier beat Kleber Barbosa by unanimous decision for the vacant bantamweight title. The event took place on October 29, 2026 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Why is William Tackett’s win historic?
His brother Andrew has been welterweight champion since UFC BJJ 1. By winning the middleweight title, William makes the Tacketts the first brothers to hold two UFC BJJ belts at the same time. His 86-second submission was named Submission of the Night.
Who received the awards of the night?
William Tackett received Submission of the Night for his rear-naked choke on Jay Rodriguez. Three Performance of the Night awards were handed out. Ffion Davies for her arm-triangle on Jaine Fragoso, Liam Crelinsten for his heel hook on Seilkhan Bolatbek, and Tristan Sainz for his winning debut against David Weintraub.
Who replaced Mikey Musumeci as bantamweight champion?
Jalen Fonacier. After Musumeci vacated his belt to focus on MMA, UFC BJJ matched Fonacier against Kleber Barbosa for the title. Fonacier won by unanimous decision and remains unbeaten in the Bowl at 5-0.
Where can I watch the replay, and what is the next event?
UFC BJJ 13 was reserved for UFC Fight Pass subscribers, where the full replay remains available. The next event, UFC BJJ 14, is scheduled for December 3, 2026 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The card has not yet been announced.
Read next
To keep the night going: UFC BJJ 12 Results: Moura vs Fornarino Full Recap, UFC BJJ 11 Results: Musumeci vs Mitchell Full Recap and all our UFC BJJ coverage.
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