UFC BJJ 6 Results: Fowler Defends Title, Moura Crowned Champion, Nicky Rod Draws

UFC BJJ 6 delivered a night of world-class grappling from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on March 12, 2026. An eight-match card featuring two championship bouts, a high-profile heavyweight clash between Nicky Rodriguez and Elder Cruz, and the only submission finish of the night from debuting featherweight Meyram Maquine kept fans on the edge of their seats for hours.

The event streamed live and free on YouTube, continuing the UFC’s commitment to making elite-level submission grappling accessible to fans worldwide. With title defenses, upsets, and dramatic finishes, UFC BJJ 6 proved once again that professional jiu-jitsu is thriving under the UFC’s banner.

Mason Fowler Retains Light Heavyweight Title Over Pedro Machado

In the main event, UFC BJJ light heavyweight champion Mason Fowler put on a wrestling clinic against Pedro Machado, earning a unanimous decision to register the first successful defense of his 205-pound title. The backstory added extra stakes to this rematch — Machado had beaten Fowler in the brown belt absolute final at the 2021 IBJJF World Championships. Five years later, Fowler left no doubt about who sits atop the division.

Fowler’s game plan was clear from the opening seconds: use his size, wrestling pedigree, and relentless forward pressure to smother Machado’s guard game. When the Brazilian attempted to pull guard early, Fowler sliced through to half-guard and immediately went to work isolating Machado’s arm. Every time the action returned to the feet, Fowler quickly re-established top position with heavy takedowns.

The second round saw Machado attempt a guillotine choke off an exchange, but Fowler calmly escaped and turned the failed submission into yet another takedown. From there, the champion transitioned fluidly — half-guard to mount, threatening Kimura grips and back-takes — keeping Machado perpetually on defense. The Brazilian showed heart, exploding out of bad positions multiple times, but Fowler’s pressure was unrelenting.

Machado came out swinging in Round 3, going all-out for scrambles and submission attempts. But Fowler’s defensive awareness proved too sharp. He stuffed every attempt, stayed out of danger, and rode out the round to claim a shutout on all three judges’ scorecards. It was a masterful demonstration of how wrestling-based top pressure can neutralize even the most dangerous guard players in no-gi competition.

Cassia Moura Edges Ffion Davies for Inaugural Women’s Bantamweight Title

The co-main event produced the closest contest of the night as Brazilian prospect Cassia Moura captured the inaugural UFC BJJ women’s bantamweight championship with a razor-thin split decision over Welsh grappling legend Ffion Davies. This was a matchup between old-school guard expertise and new-school wrestling aggression — and ultimately, Moura’s relentless takedown game tipped the scales.

Round 1 belonged mostly to Moura. After Davies stuffed an early guard-pull attempt, the Brazilian responded with a slick trip takedown that put Davies on her back. A second takedown later in the round reinforced Moura’s positional dominance. A brief medical stoppage to inspect a cut on Moura’s nose did nothing to slow her momentum — she came right back with another takedown that landed her in side control. Davies rallied late, sweeping to top position for a stretch of positional dominance, but Moura’s aggression appeared to win over the judges.

Davies roared back in Round 2 with a heavy double-leg takedown that drove Moura into the Bowl wall. The Welsh veteran applied her trademark top pressure, dragging Moura back to the mat every time she tried to escape up the sloped surface. It was a masterclass in positional control from Davies, though Moura briefly reversed with a crafty leg sweep before Davies re-established dominance to close out the round.

The third round was pure chaos. Both women knew the title was on the line. Davies pulled guard and went to work from bottom, isolating a leg and brilliantly denying a Moura back-take. The final sixty seconds were electric — Moura hit an arm-drag takedown, only for Davies to immediately counter with a gorgeous judo throw to end the round on top. The split decision went Moura’s way, crowning her as the first UFC BJJ women’s bantamweight champion.

Nicky Rodriguez vs Elder Cruz Ends in Majority Draw

The most anticipated non-title bout on the card — Nicky Rodriguez’s second UFC BJJ appearance against Elder Cruz — ended in a majority draw that left both fighters feeling they’d done enough to win.

Cruz controlled the first two rounds with aggressive wrestling. After half a round of hand-fighting and stance changes, Cruz cracked the code with an emphatic double-leg takedown, though Rodriguez smartly tied him up on the ground to force a reset. Cruz kept pushing the pace throughout the opening ten minutes, using his wrestling to edge the positional battles while Rodriguez looked content to work from his guard.

Everything changed in Round 3. Rodriguez came out like a different athlete, immediately taking Cruz to the mat and methodically working through half-guard into side control. With the clock winding down, Rodriguez locked up a heel hook and torqued hard, coming agonizingly close to forcing the tap. Cruz showed incredible toughness to survive the final seconds, and the judges scored it a majority draw — Rodriguez’s explosive third round salvaging what looked like a losing effort.

Meyram Maquine Delivers Statement Armbar Finish on Debut

The only submission finish of UFC BJJ 6 came courtesy of featherweight Meyram Maquine, who tapped Marcos Mendes with a textbook armbar at 3:29 of Round 2 to announce himself on the UFC BJJ stage in emphatic fashion.

Mendes controlled much of the first round with aggressive leg attacks. He pulled guard early and went after Maquine’s right leg, then narrowly missed with a flying triangle attempt before transitioning to a kneebar. Maquine weathered the storm but couldn’t establish sustained offense.

Round 2 was a different story. Maquine reacted sharply to a Mendes guard-pull, working aggressively from top position. After shutting down another leglock attempt, Maquine methodically advanced through side control and north-south before establishing full mount — the most dominant position of the entire match. From mount, Maquine transitioned seamlessly to an armbar, extending Mendes’ arm for the tap and the night’s only finish. It was a clinic in positional advancement and opportunistic submissions.

Joao Miyao Dominates Jussier Formiga, Calls Out Mikey Musumeci

BJJ legend Joao Miyao made his UFC BJJ debut with a dominant 30-27 shutout decision over former UFC flyweight contender Jussier Formiga. Miyao’s guard game and top control were simply too much for the MMA veteran transitioning to pure grappling competition.

Miyao established early control in every round, using his lively guard to sweep Formiga and maintain top position with heavy shoulder pressure. In Round 2, Miyao came dangerously close to finishing with an armbar, but Formiga’s defensive grit kept him in the match. The 30-27 scores across all three cards reflected Miyao’s total dominance.

The real fireworks came after the final horn. Miyao immediately called for a title shot against UFC BJJ bantamweight champion Mikey Musumeci, and Musumeci himself emerged from the crowd. The two exchanged a respectful handshake and a brief face-off, electrifying the crowd and setting the stage for what could be one of the biggest superfights in UFC BJJ history.

Devhonte Johnson Overwhelms Lucas Norat With Size and Power

American heavyweight Devhonte Johnson made a dominant first impression in the UFC BJJ Bowl, earning a lopsided 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 unanimous decision over Brazil’s Lucas Norat. Johnson’s game plan centered on his extraordinary size and strength advantage, and it worked to perfection.

Johnson nearly ended things in Round 1 with a deep anaconda choke from top position. Norat showed incredible composure to survive the extended submission attempt, calmly defending until Johnson’s grip fatigue forced him to abandon the hold. Johnson maintained dominant positioning throughout the second round from half-guard, prompting referee stand-ups when the action stalled.

The final round featured the most action, including an accidental eye poke, several scrambles, and a brilliant late sequence where Johnson took Norat’s back and cranked a face crank in the closing seconds. Norat survived to hear the final horn, but the scorecards told the story of Johnson’s dominance.

Undercard Results: Rodrigues Edges Rocha, Ribamar Outworks Vinicius

The card opened with two tightly-contested decisions. Manuel Ribamar edged Caio Vinicius Santos via unanimous decision (29-28 across the board) in a middleweight battle defined by leg entanglement exchanges and guard passing. Ribamar’s ability to stay out of submission danger while controlling top position late in rounds proved decisive.

In the women’s bantamweight division, Ana Rodrigues outlasted Jasmin Rocha via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) in a rematch of their rivalry. Three rounds of tense, tactical grappling saw Rodrigues earn the edge with late aggression, including a last-ditch guillotine attempt as time expired. Referee Jason Herzog warned both corners about activity levels during the bout, reflecting the chess-match nature of elite women’s bantamweight grappling.

UFC BJJ 6 Full Results Card

• Mason Fowler def. Pedro Machado — Unanimous decision (Light Heavyweight Championship)
• Cassia Moura def. Ffion Davies — Split decision (Women’s Bantamweight Championship)
• Elder Cruz vs Nicky Rodriguez — Majority draw (Heavyweight)
• Meyram Maquine def. Marcos Mendes — Submission (armbar), R2, 3:29 (Featherweight)
• Ana Rodrigues def. Jasmin Rocha — Split decision (Women’s Bantamweight)
• Devhonte Johnson def. Lucas Norat — Unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 (Heavyweight)
• Joao Miyao def. Jussier Formiga — Unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 (Bantamweight)
• Manuel Ribamar def. Caio Vinicius — Unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 (Middleweight)

What UFC BJJ 6 Means for Professional Grappling

UFC BJJ 6 reinforced several trends shaping professional grappling in 2026. Wrestling-based pressure passing continues to dominate the no-gi meta, as both Fowler and Moura demonstrated that relentless takedowns and top control can outpoint even the craftiest guard players. The Nicky Rodriguez–Elder Cruz draw showed that heavyweight grappling matches can swing dramatically in a single round, and that heel hooks remain the great equalizer at the highest levels.

Maquine’s armbar finish was a reminder that traditional positional BJJ — methodical advancement from guard pass to mount to submission — still produces finishes even against world-class opponents. And Miyao’s debut performance, followed by his face-off with Musumeci, gives UFC BJJ a ready-made superfight that could headline a future card.

With UFC BJJ 7 already on the horizon, the promotion continues to build momentum as the premier destination for professional submission grappling. The free YouTube model keeps eyeballs on the product, the production quality rivals MMA events, and the growing roster of champions and contenders gives fans plenty of storylines to follow into the second half of 2026.