Meet The Champions | UFC BJJ
Meet The Six Elite Grapplers Who Have Risen To The Top Of The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World By Capturing A UFC BJJ Title
By Simon Head, on X: @simonheadsport
UFC BJJ's launch in 2025 introduced a new brand of world-class submission grappling to the world, and as we build up to the first UFC BJJ event of 2026, six elite athletes carry the mantle for the organization as inaugural champions.
Meet the six champions who have set the bar for the rest of the submission grappling world:
Bantamweight champion: Mikey Musumeci
The original poster boy of UFC BJJ, Mikey Musumeci coached opposite Rerisson Gabriel on UFC BJJ: Road To The Title, the series modeled on The Ultimate Fighter, then faced Gabriel at UFC BJJ 1 for the inaugural bantamweight title.
“Darth Rigatoni” dominated their title tussle in the main event as he applied constant pressure throughout the match before eventually finishing the job in the third round via heel hook.
Musumeci followed up with a first-round heel-hook victory over Keven Carrasco as he registered the first defense of his crown. And he’ll look to further cement his status as the king at 135 pounds when he puts his title on the line against Scottish grappler Shay Montague in the main event of UFC BJJ 5 on February 12.
Women’s featherweight champion: Aurelie Le Vern
The first UFC BJJ women’s champion was also the first European champion, as French Guiana’s Aurelie Le Vern submitted Las Vegas fan-favorite Raquel Canuto inside the opening round at UFC BJJ 4 to capture the 145-pound crown.
Le Vern had already impressed in her first UFC BJJ appearance at UFC BJJ 2, where she submitted Maggie Grindatti Lira with an Americana in just 79 seconds. That victory earned Le Vern a shot at the vacant featherweight belt, and a meeting with Canuto, who had previously gone 4-1 under the UFC Fight Pass Invitational banner, and had claimed a first-round submission of her own on the same UFC BJJ 2 card.
It set the stage for a fascinating clash between the pair at UFC BJJ 4 and despite Canuto having the benefit of a partisan hometown crowd lending their support, it was Le Vern who prevailed, with the 2023 IBJJF bronze medalist capturing the title via first-round Kimura.
Lightweight champion: Carlos Henrique
The first grappler to hold the distinction of winning a UFC BJJ title, Carlos Henrique captured the inaugural lightweight title in the first title match in UFC BJJ history.
Henrique worked his way through the UFC BJJ: Road To The Title, submitting Gianni Grippo via second-round anaconda choke, then following up with another second-round finish as he submitted Isaac Doederlein via armbar.
Those victories earned him a shot at the inaugural lightweight title, and his third-round armbar finish of Danilo Moreira at UFC BJJ saw him crowned champion last June.
Since then, “CH7” has successfully retained his title with a unanimous decision victory over Matheus Gabriel at UFC BJJ 3, and he’ll look to add another defense to his resumé when he returns to the Bowl later this year.
Welterweight champion: Andrew Tackett
At the age of 22, Andrew Tackett has the grappling world at his feet, and in the space of less than a year, the Austin, Texas native has become one of the biggest stars in UFC BJJ.
Tackett was a standout talent in UFC BJJ: Road To The Title’s welterweight bracket, with back-to-back first-round rear-naked choke finishes of Aaron Wilson and Jason Nolf propelling him into the tournament final, where he met Andy Varela for the inaugural UFC BJJ welterweight title.
Despite Varela’s reputation as an aggressive competitor, Tackett dominated and needed less than three minutes to find the finish, once again via rear-naked choke.
Tackett hasn’t rested on his laurels since his championship success. He made a quick turnaround to put his title on the line just one month later at UFC BJJ 2, where he submitted Renato Canuto in the first round via D’Arce choke.
He then returned to the Bowl in December to register his second successful title defense with a first-round heel-hook finish of Elijah Dorsey.
Middleweight champion: Ronaldo Souza Junior
An imposing physical presence at 185 pounds, Brazil’s Ronaldo Junior captured the inaugural UFC BJJ middleweight title at UFC BJJ 4 as he became the latest grappler to capture a UFC BJJ championship belt.
he IBJJF No-Gi world champion defeated William Tackett over three rounds to capture the belt in a match that saw him largely dominate the action. But that was the 29-year-old’s first time in the UFC BJJ bowl, and we won’t have to wait long for his next appearance.
Ronaldo will feature in the co-main event of UFC BJJ 5 on February 12, where he’ll put his middleweight title on the line against Norway’s IBJJF No-Gi world champion Tarik Hopstock.
Light heavyweight champion: Mason Fowler
Veteran submission competitor Mason Fowler added UFC BJJ champion to his list of grappling accolades when he made his promotional debut at UFC BJJ 2.
Fowler needed less than a round to work his way to opponent David Garmo’s back, before locking up the rear-naked choke for the victory.
His post-match interview revealed how much capturing the belt meant to him, and he’ll be hoping to make his first defense of his title when he returns to the Bowl in 2026.
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