Author: Anton Tabuena

Can ADCC standout, Michael Pixley, secure another massive upset when he faces the reigning CJI champion, Nicky Rodriguez? Join us for live results of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8.

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 (UFC FPI 8) happens TONIGHT (Thurs., Oct. 10, 2024), and the mixed martial arts (MMA) leader’s grappling venture will be headlined by an intriguing stylistic matchup between two of the best wrestlers in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) in Nick Rodriguez vs. Michael Pixley.

The no gi jiu-jitsu event will stream LIVE on UFC Fight Pass, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Nicky Rod is on the best stretch of his career fresh off his $1 million tournament win at CJI, while Pixley is coming off the biggest upset and highlight reel finish of ADCC 2024. Several BJJ stars are also on the card, with PJ Barch vs. Renato Canuto serving as co-headliner, and a top pound-for-pound talent in Dante Leon also in a feature match against Andy Varela.

Checkout our full preview of UFC FPI 8 right here, including the three matches to look out for. Follow along below as we bring you live results and video highlights from the BJJ event below:

UFC FPI 8 Quick Results:

Openweight: Nicky Rodriguez vs. Michael Pixley — Nicky Rodriguez def. Michael Pixley by submission (RNC), OT
170 pounds: Renato Canuto vs. PJ Barch — Renato Canuto def. PJ Barch by submission (heel hook)
185 pounds: Isaque Bahiense vs. Ronaldo Junior — Ronaldo Junior def. Isaque Bahiense by submission (anaconda choke), OT
170 pounds: Andy Varela vs. Dante Leon — Dante Leon def. Andy Varela by submission (arm-in guillotine)
145 pounds: Raquel Canuto vs. Gabrielle McComb — Raquel Canuto def. Gabrielle McComb by submission (RNC), OT
155 pounds: Gabriel Sousa vs. Josh Cisneros — Gabriel Sousa def. Josh Cisneros by points, 2-0
135 pounds: Cassia Moura vs. Cindy Ung — Cassia Moura def. Cindy Ung by points, 6-0
215 pounds (Catchweight): Gabriel Almeida vs. Johan Oosthuysen — Gabriel Almeida def. Johan Oosthuyusen by points, 3 to -1
155 pounds: Pedro Falcao vs. Cristian Guzman — Pedro Falcao def. Cristian Guzman by points, 8-0

UFC FPI 8 Results, Video Highlights

Nicky Rodriguez vs. Michael Pixley

Final result: Nicky Rodriguez def. Michael Pixley by submission (RNC), OT

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Renato Canuto vs. P.J. Barch

Final result: Renato Canuto def. PJ Barch by submission (heel hook)

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Isaque Bahiense vs. Ronaldo Junior

Final result: Ronaldo Junior def. Isaque Bahiense by submission (anaconda choke), OT

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Andy Varela vs. Dante Leon

Final result: Dante Leon def. Andy Varela by submission (arm-in guillotine)

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Raquel Canuto vs. Gabrielle McComb

Final result: Raquel Canuto def. Gabrielle McComb by submission (RNC), OT

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Gabriel Sousa vs. Josh Cisneros

Final result: Gabriel Sousa def. Josh Cisneros by points, 2-0

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For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and grappling-related news click here.

Will CJI winner, Nick Rodriguez, continue his impressive run or can Michael Pixley secure another massive upset? Here’s everything you need to know about UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 this week.

UFC’s grappling arm is hosting another mid-week Brazilian jiu-jitsu event … and it will be headlined by an intriguing matchup between a newly-minted millionaire from CJI, Nick Rodriguez, and one of the standouts from ADCC 2024, Michael Pixley.

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 happens this week (Thurs., Oct. 10, 2024) with several jiu-jitsu stars in nine promising no-gi matches on the card. Below, we breakdown the three best bouts to look out for, including the main event clash between Rodriguez vs. Pixley.

UFC FPI 8: “Rodriguez vs. Pixley” | 3 Must-Watch Matches

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Nicky Rod vs. Michael Pixley

UFC FPI 8 will look to capitalize on the momentum from Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) and Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) after the rival organizations recently hosted massive events in the same city and same weekend.

“Nicky Rod” is fresh of his incredible run at the inaugural CJI showcase, submitting every opponent and taking home the highest prize money ever in jiu-jitsu (watch highlights). Pixley, on the other hand, fell short of a medal against more experienced veterans, but completely stole the show at ADCC 2024.

Much like his more popular teammate in Gordon Ryan, Nicholas Meregali came in ADCC 2024 as a brash and outspoken tournament favorite. He repeatedly guaranteed “easy” gold medals in two divisions, but Pixley swiftly put an end to those plans. Indeed, the NCAA Division II champion (McKendree University) flexed his wrestling chops on the feet, and put Meregali on his highlight reel that’ll play for years to come:

For years, Nicky Rod dominated jiu-jitsu champions in large part because of his wrestling, but Pixley is among the very few professional grapplers who could match and beat him in that skill.

Can Pixley pull off another massive upset at UFC FPI 8? It certainly makes for an intriguing clash of styles, but Nicky Rod is the favorite for a reason.

While initially known as “The Black Belt Slayer,” Rodriguez’s overall game has drastically improved and he’s now a full-fledged black belt himself. He’s always been an incredible athlete, but he’s far more efficient these days as he typically sits to guard and wrestles up. His trademark body lock passing is now also complemented by slick back takes.

Pixley could have success standing and while countering takedowns, especially if he lands straight into a dominant position. That said, Rodriguez should be hard to control and he’ll have a better overall grappling once it hits the mat. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he just immediately sits to guard and works to sweep, instead of trying to fully stand up with a national champion wrestler.

The scrambles should be fun to watch either way, though.

Gabriel Sousa vs. Josh Cisneros

While the big boys typically draw the most attention in jiu-jitsu events because of the prestige of taking “double gold” at the absolute divisions, it’s actually the smaller grapplers that are generally more technical and fun to watch. Gabriel Sousa vs. Josh Cisneros is the perfect way to build excitement in the card, as it’s almost guaranteed to be an entertaining, fast paced scrap that’s full of scrambles.

Sousa, an ADCC silver medalist in 2022, has a win over Cisneros in the past by points, but that was in the gi and it happened three years ago. Cisneros also looked great in his recent ADCC 2024 run, where he took bronze and only lost to the two-time champion in Diogo Reis. It’s hard to predict if we’ll end up with the same result in this no gi rematch, but it has potential to be the most entertaining match on the card.

Dante Leon vs. Andy Varela

PJ Barch vs. Renato Canuto is slotted as UFC FPI 8’s co-main event, and it’s a smart choice for viewers as both have fan-friendly and flashy games (Canuto especially). That said, Barch has improved significantly in recent years and he already has a recent win over Canuto, so for this list, I suggest keeping an eye out for the previous bout instead.

Leon is a two-time, no-gi world champion and two-time ADCC bronze medalist. He’ll be the smaller man facing a strong, well-rounded and very game Varela, but newer fans to grappling could be in for a treat as they could see the reason(s) Leon is considered among the best pound-for-pound talents in the sport.

UFC FPI 8: “Rodriguez vs. Pixley” | Full Fight Card

Nicky Rodriguez vs Michael Pixley — Openweight
Renato Canuto vs PJ Barch — 170 pounds
Isaque Bahiense vs Ronaldo Junior — 185 pounds
Andy Varela vs Dante Leon — 170 pounds
Raquel Canuto vs Gabrielle McComb — 145 pounds
Gabriel Sousa vs Josh Cisneros — 155 pounds
Cassia Moura vs Cindy Ung — 135 pounds
Gabriel Almeida vs Johan Oosthuysen — 215 pounds (Catchweight)
Pedro Falcao vs Cristian Guzman — 155 pounds

UFC FPI 8: “Rodriguez vs. Pixley” | How to Watch, Live Stream, Start Time

UFC FPI 8 will happen on Oct. 10, 2024, and as its name alludes to, will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass. The event will start streaming on UFC’s media platform starting at 8 p.m. ET.

For more video previews, you can watch UFC veteran, Matt Arroyo, as well as Craig Jones, give their thoughts on the card below:

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For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling-related news click here.

Several BJJ world champions are joining the six tournaments at the 2024 IBJJF Crown. Here’s everything you need to know about the event.

The professional grappling scene has been rapidly growing in recent years, with ADCC, CJI, WNO, Polaris and the UFC Fight Pass Invitational among those ushering the way and improving viewership and athlete pay. Most pro events are no gi though, and IBJJF has since created their answer to those with a professional event in the traditional kimono called “The Crown.”

Their inaugural event happened in 2023, and their upcoming second iteration on November 17 promises to be bigger and better.

The 2024 IBJJF Crown will once again host tournaments across six divisions — four for men, two for women — but brackets have now doubled in size, going from four to eight-man tournaments.

Several decorated BJJ stars have also been confirmed to be in the roster. This includes four of the six returning winners from the inaugural IBJJF Crown in two-time world champ Tainan Dalpra, four-time world champ Erich Munis, and eight-time female world champs Gabrieli Pessanha and Luiza Monteiro.

Last year’s middleweight winner and CJI silver medalist, Fellipe Andrew is currently unable to participate in IBJJF events, as he is one of the few jiujitsu athletes to have been tested and suspended by USADA.

Outside of the returning champs, the biggest name on the line up is five-time world champ Diego “Pato” Oliveira, who will return to gi competition after recently taking silver at the 2024 ADCC World Championships.

The full list of competitors, along with everything else you need to know about the event, can be seen below.

Payouts and rulesets for 2024 IBJJF Crown

The four men’s divisions will be a condensed version of the typical IBJJF gi weight classes, with featherweight, middleweight, heavyweight and ultra-heavyweight. The two women’s divisions will be at lightweight and openweight.

For better or worse, every match will again be held under traditional IBJJF rules with points and advantages, for 10 minutes each.

The 2023 IBJJF Crown also had $15,000 prizes for each tournament winner and $3,000 for silver medalists, with smaller purses for the other participants. They revealed that the total payout was an IBJJF record of over $120,000 in 2023. The larger field of competitors now could help eclipse that total, but no monetary figures were revealed for this 2024 iteration, as of this writing.

2024 IBJJF Crown full list of competitors

Featherweight (70 kg/154 lbs)

Diego Pato – 5-time world champ, 2024 ADCC silver

Kennedy Maciel – 2018 no gi world champ, 2019 ADCC silver

Jamil Hill-Taylor – 2018 IBJJF world champ

Osvaldo “Queixinho” Moizinho – 4-time no gi world champ

Ademir Barreto

Marco Mendes

Eduardo Granzotto

Joao Mendes

Middleweight (82.3 kg/181 lbs)

Tainan Dalpra – Reigning IBJJF Crown champ, 2-time world champ

Andy Murasaki – 2022 no gi world champ

Francisco Lo – 2023 no gi world champ

Elijah Dorsey – 2023 ADCC Trials Champ

Manuel Ribamar – 2019 no gi world champ

Mauricio Oliveira

Gabriel Galvao

Jaime Canuto

Heavyweight (94.3 kg/208 lbs)

Gustavo Batista – 5-time world champ

Adam Wardzinski – 2024 IBJJF world champ

Patrick Gaudio

Rider Zuchi

Paulo Merlin

Horlando Monteiro

Mateus Rodrigues

Matheus Spirandelli

Men’s Ultra-Heavyweight (Openweight)

Erich Munis – Reigning IBJJF Crown champ, 4-time world champ

Roosevelt Sousa – 2023 no gi world champ, 2022 ADCC bronze

Felipe Costa – 2024 ADCC bronze

Gutemberg Pereira

Pedro Machado

Marcus Ribeiro

Kjetil Lydvo

Kristof Szucs

Women’s Lightweight (64 kg/141 lbs)

Luiza Monteiro – Reigning IBJJF Crown champ, 6-time world champion

Brianna Ste-Marie – 2024 ADCC Silver, WNO Champ

Margot Ciccarelli – ADCC Trials champ

Janaina Lebre Maia

Cassia Moura

Jaine Fragoso

Vitoria Vieira

Vitoria Assis

Women’s Super-Heavyweight (Openweight)

Gabi Pessanha – 8-time world champ

Nathiely de Jesus – 8-time world champ

Melissa Stricker Cueto – 2-time world champ

Tamiris Silva – 2024 IBJJF world champ

Mayara Custodio – 2021 no gi world champ

Giovanna Jara – 2022 ADCC Trials champ

Isabely Lemos

Maria Vincentini

2024 IBJJF Crown: How to watch, live stream, start time

The 2024 IBJJF Crown will happen on November 17, 2024 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. It will be streamed live on FloGrappling starting at 3 p.m. ET.

There will be two mats, with matches happening simultaneously up until the final rounds of the tournaments.

Tim Sylvia is now 47-years-old.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia retired back in 2015, after failing to get licensed by the athletic commission due to an MRI issue.

“They said that I’ve received enough damage over 16 years,” Sylvia said when he announced his retirement.

If Sylvia’s manager saying his MRI showed “damage from blunt force trauma” back in 2015 isn’t concerning enough, the former UFC champion is unfortunately signing on for more head trauma eight years later.

Sylvia, who is now 47-years-old, isn’t unretiring for an MMA contest either. According to a recent announcement, Sylvia has signed signed a “multi-fight” deal for slap fights, where defense isn’t allowed and head trauma can almost be guaranteed.

Sylvia has joined SlapFIGHT, which is another slap promotion, different from Dana White’s Power Slap league. The former MMA champion will face a guy called “Bulldozer.”

Sylvia was already badly out of shape in 2015, where he reportedly ballooned to 371 lbs during his last weigh-in. Sylvia has been inactive since retirement, but SlapFIGHT organizers are spinning it as a good thing, touting that the match “promises fireworks” because the pair has a “combined weight of over 650 pounds.”

With the serious dangers of slap fighting and its unimpeded head strikes, many are already reacting to the news with real concern for the former UFC champion. Sylvia has since responded, claiming he is healthy enough to compete and that “I am not doing it for the money.”

Sylvia’s long term manager Monte Cox detailed the health issues shown on the MRI results back in 2015, when the former UFC champion couldn’t be licensed.

“Basically what they’re saying is there’s damage from blunt force trauma,” Cox said almost eight years ago. “He’s got damage there. Does it affect his everyday life? Not so far. Not that he can tell — but it’s certainly something to pay attention to.”

“I think it’s the end. He had gotten to a point where his body, through all the wars, just wasn’t able to get in the kind of shape he used to. Obviously, you could see that in his weight. He just can’t get into competitive form. I think [retirement] is good. With this MRI, why go on, when you’re only getting paid a fraction of what you’re worth?”

Sylvia now claims those statements about his MRI were “taken out of context.” He says there is “nothing wrong with my brain” and it “looks just like any other fighter competing that long.”

Sylvia has 42 pro MMA bouts to his name after making his debut 22 years ago. He went winless in his final four bouts, with his last victory coming against journeyman Randy Smith 11 years ago.

Colin Oyama says he even threw a water bottle in the cage to try and stop the fight. Vazquez is now dealing with “possible fractures” and ligament damage.

The Fury FC 76 main event went viral this weekend, with referee Frank Collazo being in the middle of one of the worst stoppages in MMA history.

DWCS veteran Edgar Chairez locked in a triangle choke that put his opponent Gianni Vazquez to sleep, but despite the commentators and other people cageside screaming and pointing it out, the official allowed the fight to continue. Referee Frank Collazo let an unconscious fighter get choked for about 20 seconds, and then allowed the still unconscious fighter to get armbarred for another 20 seconds until he woke up to an injured arm and tapped.

After the horrific scene, commission spokesperson from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation released a generic statement.

“TDLR is aware of concerns about the officiating in one of last night’s fights. All TDLR officials receive ongoing training and we monitor each fight for consistency in officiating,” their statement read. “Fight officials for each competition are always selected in conjunction with promoters.”

Seemingly unhappy with some of the weight being put on them, Fury FC also followed up with their own statement and distanced themselves from the idea that they “select refs for our shows.”

“It is the referee’s job to protect the fighter when the fighter cannot protect him or herself. In last night’s main event, the referee failed to do this. While the job of a referee is one of the hardest to do in this sport, the need for proper and continued training would help to alleviate things like this incident,” Fury FC officials wrote on social media.

“We do not hire, train, or select refs for our shows, but we would be more than willing to lead a revamp and overhaul of the reffing and judging selection and training process.”

During the broadcast, both commentators were heard screaming at referee Collazo to stop the fight, with them also stating that the cageside physician was also doing the same. Apparently, Vazquez’s corner was also among those trying to stop the fight.

According to the veteran MMA coach Colin Oyama, a commission inspector blocked his repeated attempts to have the fight stopped. He says instead of just throwing the towel to get a corner stoppage, he even threw in a water bottle, but his efforts went ignored.

“This ref needs to lose his job. And also the idiot inspector in my corner who refused to stop the fight even after I asked him to intervene and told him that my guy was out. Because of the stupidity of these two, my fighter may have possible fractures in his elbow joint according to the ER that we went to,” Oyama wrote on social media.

“It’s always funny how Athletic commissions are always warning us to act accordingly and show them the respect that they deserve 3? Respect? The only thing these two commission guys deserve is to get fired. I had to watch my kid get his arm snapped off, while neither of you did a damn thing, hell I even threw a damn water bottle in there to try and stop the fight. Just because you work for the athletic commission doesnt mean you are above reproach. You both need to be held accountable for your stupidity.”

Vazquez also confirmed being diagnosed with a “potential fracture” and “some ligaments damaged” in his statement from social media.

Combat Sports lawyer Erik Magraken also pointed out how corner stoppages are technically a foul under Texas rules, but inspectors are supposed to be the ones that stop the contest.

Oyama called for the referee and inspector to get fired, after their “stupidity” caused a serious and avoidable elbow injury to Vazquez.

If it’s true that the cornermen and ringside physician were all trying to stop the contest, but the referee and inspector still failed to do their jobs, then the commission truly has a lot of errors to be accountable for. It remains to be seen if they’ll actually act and take responsibility though.

Frank Collazo was responsible for one of the worst stoppages in MMA history.

Headlining Fury FC 76 was a bout between Edgar Chairez and Gianni Vazquez at flyweight. DWCS vet Chairez took home a quality victory to improve to 9-4, but it was the horrible and negligent officiating from referee Frank Collazo that stole all the attention.

In the fourth stanza of their main event bout, Vasquez got caught in a triangle choke and seemed to go limp and unconscious at the 3:34 mark of the round. Instead of stopping the fight and awarding Chairez the victory, the referee dangerously just allowed him to continue getting choked for a full 20 seconds. Everyone in the arena seemed to know he was out, with commentators and other people ringside just screaming “he’s out!!” over and over, but the referee just ignored them.

With the fight disturbingly not being called off, Chairez just decided to switch to an armbar, which the referee insanely allows him to apply to a clearly unconscious fighter. Everyone started screaming “Frank, he’s done! He’s done!” but referee Collazo just let it all continue. Vasquez eventually seemed to slowly regain consciousness right as his arm is being completely bent the other way, but guess what… the referee still doesn’t stop it!

“What are you doing?!? It’s done!!!” the commentators repeatedly screamed at the referee.

A seemingly confused Vasquez looked to have tapped with his leg as well as he slowly regained consciousness, but the referee still let it continue longer. A few more seconds and Vasquez uses his arm to tap again, and only then did the grossly incompetent referee to stop the contest.

To sum it up, referee Frank Collazo let an obviously unconscious fighter to get choked for 20 seconds, and then allowed the still unconscious fighter to get armbarred and injured for another 20 seconds.

Watch the seriously dangerous and disturbing scene produced by incompetent and irresponsible officiating from Collazo, courtesy of Caposa.

According to the commentators, the ringside physician was also screaming from outside the cage asking the referee to stop the fight.

Vasquez corner should’ve stepped in as well, but the brunt of the blame easily falls on the negligence Collazo showed as the referee in charge. The stoppage was about 40 seconds too late. And despite everyone repeatedly screaming at him, it was only when Vasquez fully woke up and was able to tap — possibly twice — due to his already injured arm that Collazo stopped the fight.

He not only unnecessarily caused an arm injury, he also risked serious health issues and death with the lack of blood to the brain for that long. It’s easily one of the worst officiating in MMA history, and Collazo clearly should not be able to keep his job after this.

“It’s one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen in my life in MMA,” the broadcast booth is heard saying about the officiating. “I’m still stunned right now. My heart is still beating (fast), I thought we were about to see the something very horrible.”

Fortunately, Vasquez seemed to have avoided the worst as he was able to regain consciousness and eventually stand up on his own accord during the official decision. His arm seems to have been badly injured though, despite it being a completely avoidable situation.