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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.

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

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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 —
170 pounds: Renato Canuto vs. PJ Barch —
185 pounds: Isaque Bahiense vs. Ronaldo Junior —
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:

Renato Canuto vs. P.J. Barch

Final result:

Isaque Bahiense vs. Ronaldo Junior

Final result:

Andy Varela vs. Dante Leon

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

Raquel Canuto vs. Gabrielle McComb

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

Gabriel Sousa vs. Josh Cisneros

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

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

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Glover Teixeira turns 45 at the end of the month.

That won’t stop the former UFC light heavyweight champion from making his return to competition, despite his retirement in the wake of UFC 283. When and where remains to be seen, but it sounds like the Brazilian bruiser is willing to entertain any and all options.

Even a return to UFC.

“There’s nothing [booked], but I’ll definitely go back to competition,” Teixeira said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “I keep going after challenges. It’s hard to stay [training] with no reason why, so I’ll definitely do something. I want to compete. I’ll do some jiu-jitsu, I wanna do … I don’t know, maybe boxing. Or even go back for some fights in the UFC.”

Blame his top student and current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

“I’m feeling great, fighting hard with the guys in the gym,” Teixeira continued. “I’ve rolled with some wrestlers, training with Sean Strickland and ‘Poatan.’ I was doing some light sparring with ‘Poatan’ the other day, and he’s like, ‘F*ck, Glover, you have to come back!’ I’m training well, I’m feeling well. I love this. I’m not saying I want to fight, but I want to compete. If it’s jiu-jitsu, Lovato, guys like that. I wanna do some matches, that’s for sure.”

This ongoing series would make a great landing spot.

Teixeira (33-9) hung up the gloves after suffering back-to-back losses to Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill, the latter of which was a particularly bloody beatdown. The best case scenario has Teixeira returning to the brain-friendly jiu-jitsu mats, where he’s defeated the likes of Dean Lister and Renato Ferreira, among others.

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Holloway was prepared for all of Topuria’s attacks during a new ESPN interview leading into their Abu Dhabi featherweight title fight.

Ilia Topuria has been making a lot of claims about Max Holloway in the lead-up to their UFC 308 fight in Abu Dhabi. Those comments may have earned him headlines when made to the press, but they didn’t work so well when said directly to Holloway’s face.

Topuria and Holloway were recently featured on an ESPN ‘Face to Face’ where a bored Holloway reacted scathingly to “El Matador’s” greatest verbal hits.

“You were forced to fight me, you didn’t want to fight me,” Topuria claimed once again. “You asked to fight with Conor McChicken. You asked to fight with too many fighters because you were trying to avoid me.”

“Who told you this?” Holloway asked. “Exactly. Shut up, you’re lying! This guy’s a liar. I asked for you … You were the first guy I asked for. I want Ilia, I want the easiest fight. That’s Ilia Topuria. That’s what I said.”

“I already opened a home for old people,” Topuria said. “Volk already has his room. I have another one for you. So I’m gonna put you right there after October 26th. All for free, don’t worry. No expenses … Bring your pillow.”

“Oh my gosh,” Holloway replied. “Come up with something new. Say something new. You’ve been saying this the whole time you’ve been talking.”

In the end, none of this banter generates points on the judges’ scorecards. Ilia Topuria talked a big game leading into his fight with Alexander Volkanovski as well, with many wondering if he was going to look foolish after the bout. Instead he crushed Volk and took home the belt.

His trash talk looked pretty different after he walked the walk. Will things be similar after UFC 308 on October 26th?

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Francis Ngannou seems happy with his choice to leave the UFC ranks.

“The Predator” left the promotion as active Heavyweight champion. He used his newfound free agency to leverage a massive contract with PFL and cross over into the boxing ring. After giving Tyson Fury everything he could handle and getting smoked by Anthony Joshua — making many millions of dollars in the process — Ngannou will return to the cage opposite PFL Heavyweight champion Renan Fereira.

UFC CEO Dana White recently addressed Ngannou’s windfall earnings, and he wasn’t so impressed. According to White, UFC could have matched if not exceeded what Ngannou has earned since leaving the promotion, and he advised against trusting the reported numbers.

“Unless he was the one writing me the check, I don’t see how he can know that.“ Ngannou responded in a recent interview. “Me, as the inside one who was receiving the money after leaving the UFC and from what the UFC was proposing — it was just a trap. It wasn’t a solid contract. That’s a lie.”

Ngannou vs. Ferreira is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2024 inside The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Prior to his boxing excursion, Ngannou most recently defeated Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision to defend his UFC belt. Ferreira, meanwhile, hasn’t lost since August 2022 and won his last four bouts via knockout, setting up an exciting “Battle of the Giants.”

Insomnia

Brendan Allen vs. Marvin Vettori seems like an obvious fight to make. Hopefully, “The Italian Dream” is back in action sooner than later.

“Boom” Brian Kelleher exceeded expectations and always brought the action.

An unlikely friendly interaction between former foes!

I’m not weighing in on the Alex Pereira vs. Khabib debate because it’s goofy, but these clips are very funny.

I’ve definitely posted a similar clip of Beterbiev in the past, but his wrist exercises are still f—king wild!

A really fun booking at 145-pounds! Zalal has looked so sharp in his second UFC stint.

Celebrating the start of Spooky Season with the Holloway family!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

A vicious flurry started off by a counter hook:

Is it 2008? When’s the last time a closed guard kimura actually ended up submitting anyone in a cage fight?

Punches landing with an absolute thud.

Random Land

Whale wars.

Midnight Music: Rock, 1988

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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Last week (Fri., Oct. 4, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, Antonio Trocoli, was arrested on misdemeanor battery charges in Huntington Beach, Calif., for allegedly assaulting Wesley Santos, who is the estranged ex-husband of UFC star Mackenzie Dern and the father of their daughter, Moa.

Trocoli — who failed in his Octagon debut earlier this year at UFC Saudi Arabia — is now married to Dern.

Santos issued a statement to MMAFighting.com about the alleged incident.

“Mackenzie Dern is my ex-wife and after our divorce she married Antonio ‘Malvado’ Jose Trocoli da Silveira Filho. We divorced and have shared custody of our daughter Moa, but Antonio never stopped following me,” Santos wrote. “We had a deal that he would not be part of the custody but he was always nearby, threatening and disturbing in every custody change. He sent messages through Moa, saying he would beat me up, and Moa told me clearly.

“I dropped my daughter at school this past Friday and was going back home on a skateboard when I saw a white car stop, and I started recording. It was Antonio. He got out of the car and punched me, and the car kept moving [along], and he ran back inside the car. Cops were called, there were several witnesses, and Antonio was arrested for battery.”

Neither Dern nor Tricoli have addressed the alleged incident at the time of this writing.

Tricoli, who hails from Brazil, was signed to the promotion in 2019 after a contract-winning performance on Contender Series; however, he was then released after testing positive for a banned substance. After winning on the regional scene, UFC signed him again in 2022 to fight Ovince Saint Preux, but he had to withdraw.

The 33-year-old is scheduled to make his second UFC appearance at UFC Vegas 100 against Tresean Gore next month.

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

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Today’s Beterbiev vs. Bivol open workouts get underway LIVE at 2 p.m. ET from Riyadh.

WBC, WBO and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev will face WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship this Sat. night (Oct. 12, 2024) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the winner unifying the 175-pound straps for the very first time in the four-belt era.

The card will stream LIVE on the ESPN+ digital network at 6 p.m. ET.

“This is a dream fight for all fighters, and I’m so glad that I have this chance because a lot of great fighters didn’t get this chance. I got it. I was waiting, and I was working hard. Now I have to work in the ring,” Bivol said during Tuesday’s Grand Arrivals in Riyadh. “Of course, people have been waiting for this fight for many years. It’s two different styles, two undefeated boxers. I’m waiting for this great fight.”

For more boxing news and notes click here.

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Amanda Nunes is teasing a return to UFC.

That would suggest the nerve damage in her legs is all better now, or maybe she’s just ignoring the pain. I don’t really know how nerve damage works but maybe the idea of putting another beating on newly-crowned bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is too tempting to resist.

Pena captured the crown from Raquel Pennington at UFC 307.

“She looks good,” UFC CEO Dana White told reporters following last night’s Contender Series. “She looks great. Looks like she’s still in shape. So you know where her head is at, and I love that about her. There’s a lot of things I love about her, I love that about her. She’s keeping an eye on who wins the title next and I think she’s teasing that she might be interested in coming back. I love Amanda Nunes. I have an incredible relationship with her. I would absolutely love to see her come back.”

Glad to see this drama didn’t get in the way of their “incredible relationship.”

Outside of Pena, the 36 year-old Nunes also has unfinished business with this former training partner. Whether or not “Lioness” waits for Pena to defend her title against top contender Kayla Harrison remains to be seen, assuming her comeback plans are legit and not just an excuse for attention on social media.

Time will tell.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

All eyes were on Artem Vakhitov ahead of his Contenders Series main event slot versus Islem Masraf, which wrapped up earlier on Tuesday (Oct. 8, 2024) from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Why was everyone so interested in a 2-1 Light Heavyweight?

Being a Glory champion certainly separates him from the pack at bit, but the real answer is that he’s the last man to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing! After the whole Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira saga in the Octagon, we know just how substantial a rivalry from the ring to the cage can be. These two fought twice in 2021, and their connection was enough that Pereira — who just fought four bloody rounds in Utah three days ago — flew in to attend his kickboxing rival’s fight.

Vakhitov hit a bit of trouble early against Masraf, finding himself controlled in close quarters. Masraf didn’t actually manage to take down the striker, but Vakhitov was getting pinned to the fence for a fair portion of the first. Fortunately, he made it count when he did create separation. Masraf was a touch winded from the grappling, leaving him very vulnerable to a series of right hands.

Check out the knockout clip below:

With the knockout, Vakhitov improves to 3-1 as a professional. Despite the win and history with “Poatan,” it was still up in the air whether Vakhitov would score the contract, because he has very little cage time overall and showed some wrestling inexperience in the bout. UFC CEO Dana White turned to Pereira for advice, and the Brazilian acknowledged his former foe as skilled and experienced enough for UFC competition.

It will be very exciting to see Vakhitov’s career develop. He’s still a long way from earning an MMA rubber match versus the champion, but Adesanya and “Poatan” both demonstrated that elite kickboxers are capable of fast rises up the ladder. If nothing else, any injection of talent at 205-pounds is sorely needed!

Insomnia

It’s cool to see fan art of unranked fighters, although I don’t know that Bryan Battle will hold that status for much longer.

Khalil Rountree motivating his team!

Retired UFC fighter Tim Kennedy somehow found his way onto Last Week Tonight, and it’s not because he found Hitler.

Renato Moicano and company have released the most accurate theoretical UFC salary numbers yet.

There’s only one Nick Diaz.

Joshua Van is a glutton for punishment. This is going to be a great fight, but I see no way it doesn’t end with these two taking lumps out of each other.

In other Flyweight news, Tatsuro Taira is the main event and does very cool stuff on the canvas. Click through for the full thread!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Being a kickboxing legend from several decades ago, sadly, is not a good recipe for success in 2024.

The ten finger guillotine always creates such unpleasant pressure on the neck and spine. Blue should’ve tried kicking off the fence, it bizarrely works sometimes.

Stand-and-bang until somebody falls down!

Random Land

Surfing the green!

Midnight Music: Chappell Roan has taken over the pop world in the last 12 months or so, and I finally got around to listening to her work. I like an earworm chorus!

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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It’s that time!

Contender Series keeps rolling on for two more weeks of mixed martial arts (MMA) action. Week nine goes down tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, in front of UFC CEO, Dana White, and his cadre of matchmakers.

As has become standard for the program of late, all five fighters earned UFC contracts last week.

In the main event this evening, Alex Pereira slayer, Artem Vakhitov (2-1), takes on French viral knockout artist, Islem Masraf (3-0). Vakhitov is the last person to defeat Pereira in kickboxing. In the co-main event, Kody Steele (6-0) — whose opponent quit because of a panic attack — returns to the show, taking on Chasen Blair (6-2). The “Featured” bout sees Heavyweights clash as Mario Pinto (8-0) takes on Lucas Camacho (6-0). Islam Dulatov (10-1) — who was supposed to compete on week one — fights Vanilto Antunes (16-8). Last, and certainly not least, two Australian champions kick off the card as Anthony Drilich (8-1) fights Sean Gauci (9-1), who has a win over Steve Erceg.

‘Contender Series’ Quick Results:

Artem Vakhitov defeats Islem Masraf via knockout (punch) Round 1, 2:23
Kody Steele defeats Chasen Blair via knockout (body punch) Round 2, 4:07
Mario Pinto defeats Lucas Camacho via knockout (punch) Round 1, 1:43
Islam Dulatov defeats Vanilto Antunes via knockout (elbow) Round 1, 2:44
Sean Gauci defeats Anthony Drilich via unanimous decision (29-28×3)

‘Contender Series’ Highlights & Results:

185 lbs.: Artem Vakhitov defeats Islem Masraf via knockout

155 lbs.: Kody Steele defeats Chasen Blair via knockout

265 lbs.: Mario Pinto defeats Lucas Camacho via knockout

170 lbs.: IIslam Dulatov defeats Vanilto Antunes via knockout

125 lbs.: Sean Gauci defeats Anthony Drilich via unanimous decision

For more Contender Series news and notes, be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.

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