Though it lost its featured attractions, UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 remains on track to hit your screens tonight (Sun., Dec. 10, 2023) with a hefty lineup of Brazilian jiu-jitsu elites.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the main card below, as well as quick results for the rest of the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 main card starting at 8 p.m. ET.
The original main event saw Gordon Ryan — arguably the greatest grappler on Earth — battle Fight Pass Invitational 3 winner, Mason Fowler. With Ryan out of commission (details here), Nicholas Meregali vs. Felipe Pena gets top billing, while Yuri Simoes battles Nicky Rodriguez in the co-feature and the aforementioned Fowler meets Haisam Rida.
Former UFC Welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre — who was forced out of a clash with old rival Nick Diaz due to a shoulder injury — will be on the mic.
UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 Quick Results:
Nicholas Meregali vs. Felipe Pena — Meregali def. Pena by submission (rear naked choke)
Yuri Simoes vs. Nicky Rodriguez — Rodriguez def. Simoes by points (3 to -2)
Mason Fowler vs. Haisam Rida — Fowler def. Rida by submission (kimura)
Nicky Ryan vs. Jonnatas Gracie — Gracie def. Ryan by points (-1 to -2)
Victor Hugo vs. Dan Manasoiu — Hugo def. Manasoiu by submission (americana)
Luiza Monteiro vs. Elisabeth Clay — Clay def. Monteiro by submission (heel hook)
Vagner Rocha vs. Victor Silverio — Rocha def. Silverio by submission (rear naked choke)
Cristian Guzman vs. Aaron Wilson — Wilson def. Guzman by submission (triangle armbar)
Amanda Mazza vs. Hannah Goldy — Goldy def. Mazza by submission (triangle armbar)
Andy Varela vs. Achilles Rocha — Rocha def. Varela by points (2 to -1)
UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 Live Coverage:
Absolute: Nicholas Meregali vs. Felipe Pena
Meregali advancing, looking for grips. Pena warned for a slap. More hand fighting. Meregali looks for a single-leg and kicks out his base to land on top. Pena looks for a leg, but they pause after Meregali, sporting a bloody nose, accuses Pena of punching him. Pena uses the 50/50 to sweep into top position. They reset in the center. Meregali inverts for a straight ankle lock. Solid defense from Pena, who ultimately moves to half guard. Back to full, reset to the center. Butterfly guard for Meregali. Pena gets a second warning for passivity at the halfway point.
Meregali makes it to his feet and muscles his way out of the clinch. Back to fighting for grips. Now it’s Pena complaining about getting smacked as they look for collar ties. Pena loses a point, but hits a switch to avoid a single-leg. He loses another point. Pena pulls guard, then looks to attack a leg. Meregali looks for the back, can’t find it as Pena loses a point for the guard pull. Pena looking for a leg again. Deadlocked there, both lose points for passivity. Pena tries to roll and Meregali nearly takes north-south, but Pena shoves him away before he can settle. Meregali trying to circle around the legs. On to overtime.
Back to fighting for grips. Pena loses yet another point. Yet another as Meregali makes efforts to try and make something happen. Meregali shoots a single, can’t kick out the other leg. He tree tops, but runs out of room and Pena falls off the edge. They take a while to argue over the positioning on the reset. Pena immediately pulls his leg out before they reset and Pena loses another point. Pena looks exhausted and Meregali’s still actually putting in effort to hit a takedown. Another single-leg attempt by Meregali. Pena turns for a leglock and gives up side control, then a hook. Body triangle. He pins an arm and Pena taps before Meregali even wraps up the RNC.
Final result: Meregali def. Pena by submission (Rear naked choke)
Absolute: Yuri Simoes vs. Nicky Rodriguez
Rodriguez elects to pull guard, losing a point for it. Simoes looks to tree top on the way up, Rodriguez unsuccessfully rolls, and they restart in the center. Super slick low ankle pick puts Rodriguez on top in guard. Rodriguez trying to pass guard, Simoes keeping his legs active. Rodriguez making effort to pass, gets the body lock, and hops to side control before chasing the back. Full mount for Rodriguez. Simoes quickly regains half guard. Halfway through.
Rodriguez back to standing over Simoes and looking to get past his legs. Trying to slip through to half guard. Simoes looking to hold an ankle. Both get warnings for passivity. They scramble and Rodriguez clamps down in top half guard. Potential arm triangle for Rodriguez, who moves to mount. Simoes pops his arm free. Rodriguez looks for it again in the final seconds. On to overtime.
Early eye poke pauses things. They get too close to the edge an mean mug at each other before going back to the center. Rodriguez trying to change levels, Simoes defending well. Simoes loses a point for passivity, making them even. He defends for a while, then goes for a single leg. Rodriguez quickly spins to Simoes’ back and slips in a hook. Rodriguez riding, complains to the ref that Simoes is stalling. The ref agrees and takes a point. Rodriguez back to something resembling a proper back mount with one hook. He transitions to mount and grabs the arm triangle again. Simoes scrambles free in the final seconds.
Final result: Rodriguez def. Simoes by points
Absolute: Mason Fowler vs. Haisam Rida
Fighting for collar ties. Rida shoves him down, doesn’t follow. Ref begging them both for action as they look for collar ties. Shuffling around the mat, hunting collar ties. Rida warned for passivity. Rida tries to jump guard, pops back to his feet after losing his grip. Pulling on each other’s heads. Fowler goes for a low single and Rida tries to step over for an armbar, but misses and ends up on his back. Slick move to side control by Fowler. Ref resets them in the center. Fowler moves to north-south, briefly considers a kimura in the left arm. Halfway through.
Mason rides for a bit, then suddenly latches onto that kimura and wrenches it alarmingly hard to force the tap. Rida clutching his shoulder afterwards.
Final result: Fowler def. Rida by submission (kimura)
170 lbs.: Nicky Ryan vs. Jonnatas Gracie
Gracie aggressive with the collar tie attempts. He changes levels for a single and Ryan falls back for a guillotine. Gracie pops his head out and looks for half guard, denying Ryan’s attempt to stand. Gracie warned for inactivity. Ryan makes another attempt to stand but Gracie latches onto his ankle to force him back down. They scramble and Ryan returns to the feet, where the ref resets them in the center. Ryan changes levels, no dice. Gracie slips under the collar tie, wraps up the body lock, and drags him down into half guard. Gracie stands over him, unable to dive past the legs. He tries to dive down into half guard, struggling to get past Ryan’s legs. Halfway through regulation.
Ryan tries to stand and Gracie just shoves him to his back. Both have warnings for inactivity at this point. They’re mostly deadlocked, Gracie unable to slip his knee through to take a definitive position. A scramble ensues and Gracie jumps guillotine, which Ryan escapes from to prompt a restart in the center. Gracie looking for another single-leg. Ryan avoids it, but gets a negative for inactivity. Gracie gets one as well soon after as they deadlock hunting for grips. Gracie bites on a feinted shot, then sprawls on a real one. On to overtime.
Gracie opens with another single-leg attempt. Ryan briefly forces him to his knees with a whizzer, then it’s back to neutral on the. Ref restarts them in the center when they get close to the edge. Gracie goes back to the single-leg after Ryan loses another point for passivity, then uses a body lock to dump him into side control and take a commanding points lead. Ryan regains butterfly guard. Gracie loses another point for passivity, then another. Ryan looking for a leg, loses it, then turns to his knees as Gracie sprawls on him. Ryan tries to sit through, no dice, another lost point from Gracie. Cradle from Gracie. Another lost point for Gracie. This is so stupid. They restart in the center with Gracie in half guard, where the fight ends.
Final result: Gracie def. Ryan by points
Absolute: Victor Hugo vs. Dan Manasoiu
Hugo tries to roll, no dice. He shoots, looks for an arm, ends up in bottom butterfly. Manasoui falls back for a leg, then resets on top when nothing’s there. Standing over Hugo, looking to slip a knee through. Hugo attempts an armlock, Manasoiu snuffs it out. Back to the feet. Manasoiu nearly pushes him off the mat, prompting the ref to reset them in the center. Both have gotten a few warnings for passivity. Fighting for collar ties. Manasoiu doing a lot of pushing but neither man’s attacking much. Back to the center. Halfway through.
Single-leg puts Manasoui on top. Hugo on his last warning. Manasoiu tries to step through, back to butterfly guard for Hugo. Hugo threatens an arm, then takes top position after Manasoiu falls back. Manasoiu spins for a leg, sits up into a takedown, and avoids a guillotine to take top guard. Manasoiu loses a point for inactivity. Hugo loses a point as well as Manasoiu looks for half guard. Manasoiu loses another one as Hugo closes guard. Another point. On to overtime.
Hugo loses a point for inactivity as they fight for grips. Whizzer kick from Manasoiu puts him on top and a scramble ensues, but they’re too close to the edge. Hugo appears to be in some pain, but they resume anyway with Manasoiu in top turtle. Hugo tries to scramble up and Manasoiu shoves him hard enough to send him off the mat. They resume and Hugo pulls guard, which costs him a point. Hugo closes his guard and Manasoiu loses a point for passivity. Manasoiu looking to pass and Hugo inverts for a leg. No dice, back to full guard. Nice sweep from Hugo and he wraps up the body lock to take Manasoiu into mount, immediately wrapping up an americana to score a submission with less than minute left.
Final result: Hugo def. Manasoiu by submission (americana)
145 lbs.: Luiza Monteiro vs. Elisabeth Clay
Fighting for grips to start. Ref calling for action. Clay falls for a leg, can’t get it, and Monteiro chases her down. Quick reset to the center. Monteiro trying to sneak her knee through as Clay threatens a leg. Monteiro spins for a toe hold and they roll across the mat, but loses it. Clay trying to threaten a heel. Monteiro worms it free and settles back on top. Monteiro falls back for a straight ankle lock. Clay waits it out, then wraps up her own heel hook. A quick adjustment forces the tap.
Final result: Clay def. Monteiro by submission (heel hook)
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