UFC BJJ Road to the Title: Complete Season 1 Recap – All 15 Matches Reviewed

The UFC has officially entered the jiu-jitsu world with UFC BJJ: Road to the Title, a reality series showcasing elite grapplers competing for inaugural championship belts. We watched all 15 matches so you don’t have to sit through the filler—here’s everything that went down.

The Format

The show features two 8-man brackets: welterweight and lightweight. Athletes are split into Blue and Green teams, coached by two of the sport’s biggest names:

• Mikey Musumeci — One of the most famous athletes in modern BJJ
• Rerisson Gabriel — 2025 IBJJF Pan Championship gold medalist

The ruleset uses a three-round, 10-9 scoring system similar to boxing. Even without submissions or points, a fighter can win based on aggression and submission attempts—very similar to the CJI ruleset.

First Round Matches

Match 1: Aaron Wilson vs Andrew Tackett (Welterweight)

Wilson (#8 seed, Soul Fighters) faced heavy favorite Andrew Tackett (#1 seed, Fight Factory). Tackett competed at CJI last year and made the finals—he was expected to dominate this tournament.

Tackett used the wall effectively, taking Wilson down and immediately attacking the back. Rear naked choke on the chin—tap. Statement made in Episode 1.

Match 2: Isaac Doederlein vs Keith Krikorian (Lightweight)

Doederlein (#8, Alliance) pulled guard constantly and attacked leg entanglements throughout. Krikorian locked up a Darce with 5 seconds left but couldn’t finish. Close fight—Isaac wins by decision based on aggression.

Match 3: Davis Asare vs Austin Oranday (Welterweight)

Norway’s Davis Asare represents Kingsway—the new school founded by Gordon Ryan and John Danaher. Oranday went for a high-five; Asare declined and shot immediately.

Asare grabbed outside Ashi. As Oranday tried to roll out of the heel hook, Asare cranked it. The foot broke. Brutal finish—this is the danger of leg locks at the highest level. (For more on serious BJJ injuries, read our coverage of the $56 million Jack Greener lawsuit.)

Match 4: Carlos Henrique vs Gianni Grippo (Lightweight)

Henrique (#4, Oranday Brothers) faced veteran Grippo (Bodega Jiu-Jitsu). Heavy foot play throughout—when guard passing is this difficult, athletes go straight to leg attacks.

With 12 seconds left in Round 2, Henrique locked an anaconda. Tap! Exciting finish from a future champion.

Match 5: Jason Nolf vs Elijah Carlton (Welterweight)

Nolf (Kingsway) showed serious wrestling aggression against Carlton (10th Planet). Carlton had an incredible first round—armbar attempts, Kimura trap to back take, beautiful body triangle.

Rounds 2 and 3 went to Nolf’s aggression. Carlton attempted a last-second armbar with 8 seconds remaining—close but no finish. Nolf takes the decision.

Match 6: Kevin Gonzalez vs Cobey Fehr (Lightweight)

Gonzalez (Bodega) pulled guard against Fehr (#2, Extreme Couture). Fehr worked into reverse closed guard and attacked the foot. Toe hold—tap! Quick work.

Match 7: Nathan Haddad vs Andy Varela (Welterweight)

Varela (#2, 10th Planet) is an exciting grappler. His signature: plum grip on the back of the neck, then ducking under the arm straight to the back.

He did exactly that. Trapped the hand, sunk the hooks. Rear naked choke—done.

Match 8: Danilo Moreira vs Mauricio Rios (Lightweight)

Moreira (#3, Aries Jiu-Jitsu) vs Rios (10th Planet). Honestly? The most boring fight of the tournament. Lots of leg entanglement pressure with no real threats. Moreira eventually got mount but couldn’t capitalize. Unanimous decision for Moreira.

Semifinals

Match 9: Jason Nolf vs Andrew Tackett (Welterweight)

Wrestling-heavy opening. Nolf showed aggression; Tackett stayed calm with superior hand fighting. Then the moment everyone will remember:

Nolf shot a single leg. As he went to lift, Tackett jumped straight onto his back—incredible spatial awareness. He trapped the arm, sunk the choke. Tap. Beautiful.

Match 10: Danilo Moreira vs Kyvann Gonzalez (Lightweight)

Blue team vs Blue team. Moreira dominated position throughout. Gonzalez looked outmatched, especially in Round 1. He locked a Darce in Round 3 but couldn’t finish. Decision: Moreira.

Match 11: Carlos Henrique vs Isaac Doederlein (Lightweight)

Another Blue vs Blue matchup. Double guard pull to start—the purist’s nightmare.

But then: Henrique isolated the arm. Locked it tight. Doederlein didn’t tap in time.

“He broke his arm. Should have tapped. Should have tapped.”

Dislocation. This is what happens when you don’t recognize the danger in time. Similar to the devastating injury we covered in the Jack Greener case—the risks in high-level grappling are real.

Match 12: Davis Asare vs Andy Varela (Welterweight)

Asare pulled closed guard immediately, attacking the arm. Round 1 to Asare. Round 2 was closer—Varela edged it with aggression. Round 3 was decisive:

Varela got that plum grip again. Snapped him down. Got turtle. Set up the Darce… no, anaconda choke. Tap! Varela advances.

The Finals

Lightweight Final: Carlos Henrique vs Danilo Moreira

Brazil vs Brazil for the inaugural UFC BJJ lightweight title.

Moreira kept hunting anacondas—they’ve proven effective at this level. But Henrique was the more aggressive fighter throughout. In Round 3, with legs entangled, Henrique isolated the arm again.

Armbar. Tap. Carlos Henrique: First UFC BJJ Lightweight Champion.

Welterweight Final: Andrew Tackett vs Andy Varela

#1 seed vs #2 seed—exactly how it should be. Both Americans. Tackett (Fight Factory) vs Varela (10th Planet Las Vegas).

Tackett’s back-taking ability was on full display all tournament. He got side mount, transitioned to back, locked in the body triangle. Varela defended well but couldn’t escape.

Rear naked choke. Andrew Tackett: First UFC BJJ Welterweight Champion.

Bonus Match: Mikey Musumeci vs Rerisson Gabriel (Bantamweight)

The coaches settled it on the mats. Gabriel is only 22 and an IBJJF Pan Champion—but Musumeci is Musumeci.

Mikey pulled guard immediately and went straight to the legs. Gabriel defended well but spent every round defending. Round 3, against the wall, Mikey finally got the tap via leg entanglement.

Mikey Musumeci: UFC BJJ Bantamweight Champion.

The Three Inaugural Champions

• 🏆 Bantamweight: Mikey Musumeci
• 🏆 Lightweight: Carlos Henrique
• 🏆 Welterweight: Andrew Tackett