UFC FPI 8 post-fight analysis: Nicky Rod outwrestles Pixley, Dante Leon shines

Nick Rodriguez and Dante Leon took big wins and made it look easy at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8.

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 (UFC FPI 8) is in the books, and it saw a fun clash of wrestlers as Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) million dollar winner Nick Rodriguez avoided an upset and dominated Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) standout Michael Pixley in the main event.

The event produced a lot of entertaining no gi Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) action, and we run down the key matches on the UFC FPI 8 card below.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

No upset! Nicky Rod outwrestles, submits Michael Pixley

Pixley wanted another massive upset to follow up his highlight reel win over Nicholas Meregali at ADCC 2024, but Nick Rod proved to be a little too much for him in all areas.

While the NCAA Division II champion in Pixley was the more credentialed wrestler on paper, it was Nicky Rod who got multiple takedowns. Rodriguez won the wrestling exchanges, got on top and worked his trademark body lock passing to secure mount in the opening round. That smothering pressure only continued in the overtime period, as he again got a takedown, before eventually transitioning to the back and finishing with a rear naked choke.

Rodriguez outclassed Pixley, much like he has been doing to many credentialed grapplers recently. Apart from slightly more stand up exchanges early, this pretty much looked the same as Nicky Rod’s dominant run at CJI where his body lock passing repeatedly led to clean back takes and rear naked choke finishes.

The winningest grappler in UFC FPI history improved to 7-1 in the promotion, and Rodriguez continued to prove his case as one of the most imposing and dominant forces in jiu-jitsu today.

Renato Canuto heel hooks PJ Barch at UFC FPI 8 co-main event

The UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 co-main event between Renato Canuto and PJ Barch ended up with a highlight reel finish. Known for his flashy, flying submissions, Canuto lived up to his reputation as he pulled off another slick sequence. After showcasing improved wrestling and even taking down a wrestler in Barch early, Canuto eventually jumped on a scissor takedown and immediately transitioned to a heel hook that forced a quick tap.

The Canuto family ended up with a great evening. Not only did Renato win the evening’s co-main event and settled the rubber match against Barch, his wife Raquel Canuto also got a submission finish earlier in the card.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Dante Leon gets slapped, then easily chokes out Andy Varela

Another big standout from UFC FPI 8 was Dante Leon, who showcased why he’s among the top pound-for-pound grapplers in the planet now. The recent ADCC absolute bronze medalist again moved up to face a bigger, stronger foe in Andy Varela, but Leon still made it look easy. After a chippy start, where Varela was deducted a point for slapping him in the face, Leon immediately returned the favor by swiftly locking in an arm-in guillotine off a takedown attempt.

Leon also called for a title fight after.

“Here’s the cool thing about me. I can kind of fight at any weight class,” Leon said. “I can go down to 155, stay at 170, go up and fight someone at 220 lbs. I kinda don’t give a f—k. But I want to win titles, so if UFC Fight Pass ever wants to do 155 or 170 titles, I want first crack that and I deserve it!”

Gabriel Sousa and Josh Cisneros also put on a show earlier on the card, with constant scrambles and non-stop action. After a scramble heavy opening round, Sousa managed to score two points early in overtime after a takedown that his Filipino-American opponent conceded. Cisneros then turned it up after, and had an armbar attempt and multiple near-back takes. Sousa looked to be in trouble up until the very last second, but he managed to defend just enough to survive, avoid getting scored on and ultimately win due to the early takedown.

Also getting finishes on the event are Ronaldo Junior and Raquel Canuto. For full results and highlights from UFC FPI 8, check here.

UFC FPI makes good changes to ruleset, mat area

UFC Fight Pass Invitational organizers made major changes for this event, adjusting their core ruleset and their fighting surface. The most noticeable change was removing the elevated stage and lowering the mat to the floor to make it safer for the athletes.

The other change was to their ruleset. The opening eight-minute rounds (or 10 for main events or title bouts) are submission-only, apart from potential point deductions due to stalling. If there’s no finish, they go to an overtime period with points similar to ADCC that rewards takedowns, passes and dominant positions. The difference from ADCC though, is that FPI only deducts points for stalling, not guard pulling.

Some of the early matches went to overtime, but I do like the changes, and the event ended with five straight submissions. The new point system really encouraged action, while also not favoring a certain style of grappling and keeping things balanced for either guard or top players. Grapplers also didn’t worry about falling off a stage and just continued scrambling near the edge of the mat area. It’s not quite like CJI’s alley walls that nearly eliminated resets completely, but it was still an improvement from the previous UFC Fight Pass Invitational card.

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