UFC BJJ 6: Full Results, Analysis & Takeaways

By BJJ-Rules | March 13, 2026

Introduction: Big Names, a Historic Belt, and Still Not Enough Submissions

We asked for Joao Miyao. He showed up. An inaugural women’s title? Done. UFC BJJ 6 checked every box on paper: the highly anticipated debuts of Nick Rodriguez and Miyao, Mason Fowler’s first title defense, a women’s bantamweight championship bout between Cassia Moura and Ffion Davies, and an eight-match card ready to set the Meta APEX on fire.

Yet, let’s be honest: for the second consecutive edition, the spectacle fell short. One single submission in eight matches (Meyram Maquine, armbar in the second round). Seven decisions. One draw. A recurring pattern is emerging, and it’s not encouraging.

Interestingly, the Nova GP, organized by the CFJJB in France a few weeks earlier, featured gi competition and paradoxically delivered more action. So the gi isn’t the problem. Risk-taking is. Or rather, the lack of it.

That said, UFC BJJ 6 will go down in history for at least one reason: Cassia Moura, 20 years old, becomes the first-ever UFC BJJ women’s bantamweight champion. And the Miyao vs Musumeci face-off after Joao’s bout sets up what could be the most anticipated match on the platform!

Full Results: UFC BJJ 6

UFC BJJ 6 Awards :

Performance of the Night: Cassia Moura.

Submission of the Night: Meyram Maquine.

Match of the Night: Cassia Moura vs Ffion Davies.

Recap & Analysis : Match by Match

Match 1: Manuel Ribamar vs Caio Vinicius Santos (Middleweight, 185 lbs)

Result: Ribamar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The evening kicked off just like the last one: no submission. A leg lock duel in the first round, Ribamar the sharper and more aggressive of the two, Vinicius trying to push the pace in the third round but too late. Ribamar, who actually built a bowl in his own gym to prepare, used the slopes to his advantage. Solid work, nothing more.

Match 2: Joao Miyao vs Jussier Formiga (Bantamweight, 135 lbs)

Result: Miyao via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

This was the match everyone was waiting for, and yet it landed as the second bout on the card. A strange choice by UFC BJJ for a name of this caliber. The Miyao brothers are icons of world BJJ, and seeing Joao in the Bowl for the first time, with Paulo in his corner, gave the evening a historic dimension.

On the mat, Miyao delivered exactly what we expected: a fluid K guard, effortless inversions, armbar and tarikoplata attempts chained with disarming ease. Technically, he was clearly a level above Formiga. Under IBJJF rules, the points gap would have been massive.

The problem? No submission. Miyao came close with a deep armbar in the second round, but Formiga, 40 years old, former UFC flyweight contender and a true veteran, showed impressive armbar defense. We’d already seen him do it against Lucas Pinheiro at UFC BJJ 5. Not getting submitted by Joao Miyao is almost a victory in itself for Formiga.

But the real moment of the evening came after the match. Miyao called out Mikey Musumeci for the bantamweight title. Musumeci, in the crowd, joined him for a friendly but charged face-off. The two know each other well: five encounters (2015, 2016, 2017), five wins for Musumeci, some of them razor-close. This time, on the UFC BJJ platform, the context is different. The three-round, five-minute format could reshuffle the deck. At last, the bantamweight division has the rival it’s been calling for.

Match 3: Devhonte Johnson vs Lucas Norat (Heavyweight, 265 lbs)

Result: Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Devhonte Johnson, 6’2 and 250 lbs, imposed his physical superiority from the get-go with a devastating front headlock and an anaconda choke attempt that nearly ended things in the first round. Norat survived through excellent defensive work, but never managed to create the space he needed. The weight gap (over 35 lbs) was simply too much. Johnson finished with back control and a face crank attempt in the closing seconds. One judge gave him a 10-8 round.

Johnson’s backstory adds depth to the character: a kid from Patterson, New Jersey, rough neighborhood, who found BJJ at 17 after starting with boxing. He’s now calling for a title shot against Mason Fowler. Fowler responded by telling him to “get on a diet” from the Bowl mic. The exchange promises fireworks.

Match 4: Ana Rodrigues vs Jasmin Rocha (Women’s Bantamweight, 135 lbs)

Result: Rodrigues via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

A continuation of their rivalry from the ADCC Trials, but the spectacle didn’t follow: fifteen minutes of hand-fighting on the feet, punctuated by mercy grips that the commentators themselves were criticizing on air. Rodrigues, whose biggest titles came in the gi, seemed more comfortable with the slower pace. Rocha never managed to impose the rhythm her corner (led by her father Vagner Rocha, a Florida BJJ legend) was calling for. Rodrigues scraped the split decision. With this match contested at 135 lbs, the same weight class as the title fight in the co-main event, the winner logically positions herself as the next challenger.

Match 5: Meyram Maquine vs Marcos Mendes (Featherweight, 145 lbs)

Result: Maquine via submission (armbar), R2 at 3:29 🏅 Submission of the Night

Finally, some fire. And the only submission of the evening.

The first round was tactical, with Mendes working his leg entries and Maquine looking to impose his passing from the top. The gap widened in the second round: Maquine sniffed out a guard pull attempt from Mendes, imposed his passing pressure, then chained side control, north-south and mount in a methodical progression.

From mount, the transition to the armbar was clean. Maquine faked a triangle before isolating the arm and getting full extension. The tap was immediate. Referee Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro confirmed the stoppage, and the Bowl finally saw a finish.

Maquine, 25, has a style built for UFC BJJ: aggressive, dynamic, spectacular. His capoeira background gives him unique movement. He even called out Mikey Musumeci after his win, offering to drop weight for the bantamweight title. He joins a growing list of contenders. UFC BJJ has no more excuses not to give Musumeci an electrifying title fight.

Match 6: Nick Rodriguez vs Elder Cruz (Heavyweight, 265 lbs)

Result: Majority Draw

The other match everyone was waiting for. “The Black Belt Slayer” making his Bowl debut, facing an Elder Cruz nobody saw as a real test. Oddsmakers got it wrong.

Cruz, who immigrated from Honduras at age 4, was the better wrestler in this match. Period. His double leg late in the first round was the most decisive move of the fight. Solid on defense, aggressive in exchanges, he neutralized Rodriguez’s wrestling for two rounds. The commentators said it bluntly: Cruz is “the superior wrestler in this matchup.”

Rodriguez responded in the third round with a late surge: passing to half guard, progressing to side control, then locking up a heel hook in the final seconds that nearly changed everything. Cruz held on, but the damage was done on the scorecards.

Result: majority draw. Rodriguez, surprised. Cruz, frustrated. Both thought they won, which is often a sign the result is fair. For fans expecting a Nicky Rod showcase though, it was a letdown. Worth noting: he took this fight on just two to three weeks’ notice, which may explain the slow start.

An interesting takeaway: when stars from outside the UFC BJJ ecosystem (Rodriguez, Miyao) show up and can’t finish their opponents, it puts the criticism of the platform’s homegrown athletes into perspective. The format is demanding. Three five-minute rounds don’t forgive, not even the best in the world.

Match 7: 🏆 Cassia Moura vs Ffion Davies, Inaugural Women’s Bantamweight Title (135 lbs)

Result: Cassia Moura via split decision, first-ever women’s bantamweight champion 🏅 Performance and Match of the Night

This was the match that saved the evening in terms of intensity.

From the very first seconds, Cassia Moura set the pace. Her signature weapon, the arm drag, worked from the opening exchange, leading to a clean takedown. Then a second. Then a third. The first round was clearly hers, driven by relentless pressure and overflowing aggression.

Davies clawed back in the second round with a superb counter: catching Moura’s leg during an arm drag attempt, she reversed the position and imposed her top pressure. Her trademark knee cut passing finally found space. The Welsh star showed why she’s considered the pound-for-pound best in women’s BJJ: tactical intelligence, mid-fight adaptation, flawless judo technique.

The third round was a gem of competition. Davies pulled guard, Moura refused to engage. Davies isolated a leg and threatened with a foot lock. Moura landed a takedown. Davies responded with a judo throw in the closing seconds to finish on top. The crowd was cheering both women on as time ran out.

Split decision: Moura is champion. We understand the result (Moura had more takedowns and offensive initiative), but Davies’ BJJ was cleaner, more technical, more controlled. This could have gone the other way without anyone crying foul.

The emotional moment of the night

Then came Moura’s post-fight interview. The 20-year-old Brazilian, who left Rio at 17 to move alone to Midland, Texas under the guidance of Bruno Bastos, broke down in tears while addressing her mother in Portuguese. Having gone from blue belt to black belt in just one year, world champion at every belt level, she is now the youngest champion in UFC BJJ history. Her journey commands respect, regardless of one’s opinion on tonight’s decision.

“Nobody succeeds alone. I want to thank Bruno Bastos, my coach and my father here. And my mom in Brazil who’s watching. Mom, we did it.” – Cassia Moura

What’s next? Moura mentioned Ana Rodrigues as a potential next opponent. Davies, for her part, deserves a rematch. UFC BJJ now has a genuinely competitive women’s division on its hands, driven by two radically different profiles: the raw energy of youth against the tactical intelligence of experience.

Match 8: 🏆 Mason Fowler (c) vs Pedro Machado, Light Heavyweight Title (205 lbs)

Result: Fowler via unanimous decision, retains title

The main event carried a particular storyline: the rematch. Machado had submitted Fowler via armbar in the brown belt absolute final at the 2021 IBJJF Worlds. Five years later, Fowler wanted to prove he’s a radically different grappler. Mission accomplished, even if the spectacle didn’t quite follow.

Fowler dominated from bell to bell using one devastating tool: the Muay Thai clinch (or “Thai plum”). By locking his hands on the crown of Machado’s head (not behind the neck, as the commentators explained), he broke the Brazilian’s posture repeatedly. Machado, used to the gi where grips offer counter-options, never found an answer in no-gi.

Fowler’s top pressure was suffocating: half guard, arm isolation attempts, kimura threats, mount transitions. Machado showed heart in the third round with scramble attempts and a guillotine, but Fowler shut everything down with champion-level composure.

Fowler himself admitted post-fight that his performance wasn’t up to his own standards. He mentioned a difficult camp following a rib injury and doubts about his cardio. From the outside though, the dominance was clear. When a champion wins in total control and calls it “disappointing,” that tells you how high his ceiling really is.

“I’m happy I won, but I wasn’t at my best. The camp was tough. Sometimes you have to win a close match without the submission. That was the case tonight.” – Mason Fowler

The post-fight callout was priceless: Fowler pulled out the list he’d given after his last fight (Pedro, Devhonte, Hulk), checked off Pedro, then looked at Devhonte Johnson and added: “Get on a diet, baby.” Johnson, at 250 lbs, would indeed need to cut weight to get down to 205.

Editorial Takeaway: A Night of Mixed Feelings (Again)

What Worked

The recruitment. Joao Miyao and Nick Rodriguez on the same card is a statement. UFC BJJ is no longer just growing its own talent: the platform is now attracting the biggest names in world grappling. The Miyao-Musumeci face-off after Joao’s match promises a dream matchup for an upcoming event.

Cassia Moura vs Ffion Davies. The best match of the night by far. Two diametrically opposed styles, pace, takedowns, reversals, emotion. This is exactly what UFC BJJ should produce in every division. The UFC confirmed it by awarding this bout “Match of the Night.”

Meyram Maquine. The only submission of the evening (awarded by UFC BJJ), and a style tailor-made for the Bowl: dynamic, aggressive, spectacular. His capoeira background gives him unique movement patterns. UFC BJJ has a golden profile for future cards.

Mason Fowler. Dominant from start to finish, even without the finish. His ability to use the Thai plum to neutralize a world-class grappler like Machado shows just how complete his game is.

What Was Missing

The spectacle. Again. One submission in eight matches. Seven decisions and a draw. Same story as UFC BJJ 5 (two submissions in nine bouts). The pattern is becoming concerning. If the format is designed for entertainment, the results need to follow. Mercy grips, endless standing exchanges with no real engagement, guard pulls with no initiative: all of this kills the rhythm.

Miyao’s placement on the card. Putting a name this iconic as the second match of the evening is puzzling. Miyao deserved a co-main event slot at the very least. The bout against Formiga was an introductory test, sure, but UFC BJJ needs to learn to build its cards in a crescendo.

Finding opponents for champions. Nobody wants to face Andrew Tackett. Over 20 athletes declined before Vagner Rocha, 43 years old, accepted the challenge for UFC BJJ 7. That’s a sign of respect for Rocha, but also a structural problem for the welterweight division. BJJ needs athletes who say yes (and there are plenty out there).

What’s Next? The Future of UFC BJJ

UFC BJJ 7, April 2, 2026: three title fights announced. Andrew Tackett vs Vagner Rocha (welterweight), Aurélie Le Vern vs Rebecca Lima (women’s featherweight, Lima replacing the injured Brianna Ste-Marie), and the return of Nicholas Meregali. We also expect the debut of Davi Ramos. This is potentially the most exciting card since UFC BJJ’s inception.

Miyao vs Musumeci: the match that needs to happen. Five past encounters, five wins for Musumeci, but the UFC BJJ format could change the equation. Miyao is older, wiser, and his K guard game is formidable in a format where submissions matter more than points. We hope to see it booked for UFC BJJ 8 or 9.

The women’s bantamweight division: finally alive. Moura, Davies, Rodrigues, Rocha, Lima, Le Vern… UFC BJJ has built a credible women’s division in just a few months. That’s one of the best pieces of news from this evening.

A word on Gordon Ryan: the retired legend’s shadow still looms over the heavyweight division. His absence is felt. Imagining Rodriguez, Johnson or Meregali facing Ryan would have given this card an entirely different dimension. BJJ is turning the page, but the Ryan chapter remains unfinished.

Conclusion

UFC BJJ 6 didn’t solve the spectacle problem that already plagued the previous edition. But it laid solid foundations for what’s to come: Miyao is in the house, the face-off with Musumeci is set, Moura is writing women’s BJJ history, Fowler confirms his dominance, and future cards promise ever bigger matchups.

The world’s best grapplers are arriving one by one. Now the format needs to produce the submissions the audience deserves. Otherwise, the platform risks becoming a showcase of technical decisions that only insiders appreciate, when it was designed for the mainstream audience.

See you on April 2 for UFC BJJ 7. We believe. BJJ deserves better than seven decisions per evening!

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