See UFC BJJ 13 live at Meta APEX in Las Vegas on October 29, 2026, with Jalen Fonacier facing Kleber Barboza for the vacant bantamweight title. You can also watch Nick Rodriguez and Ffion Davies showcase their grappling skills. Plan your ticket purchase and arrival for this no-gi competition
UFC BJJ 13 is coming to Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Thursday, October 29, 2026, starting at 5:00 p.m. local time. Although it bears the familiar UFC name, this is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition without strikes, not a traditional UFC Fight Night MMA event. At the heart of the program is a fight for the vacant men's bantamweight belt between Jalen Fonacier and Kleber Barboza. Nick Rodriguez, Natã Tenca, Ffion Davies and Jaine Fragoso have also been announced, so the sporting storyline extends from the title fight to a clash of different grappling styles.
What makes watching UFC BJJ live special is the moment when a single change of grip or position turns a match around. Takedowns, guard passes, leg attacks and battles for back control take center stage here. Tickets for UFC BJJ 13 are already available, and doors open one hour before the program begins.
Title fight following Mikey Musumeci's departure
The event takes on additional significance because of a change at the top of the men's bantamweight division. Mikey Musumeci, who won the belt at the first UFC BJJ event in 2025 and subsequently defended it successfully, decided to vacate the championship to devote more time to preparing for MMA. His last UFC BJJ appearance was a September match against Bryce Mitchell, which he won by judges' decision. Instead of watching a reigning champion defend his title, the audience at Meta APEX will now witness a fight to crown a new belt holder.
Jalen Fonacier, an American competitor of Filipino descent, enters UFC BJJ with four victories from four appearances. He has won the IBJJF world championship twice as a black belt, in 2025 and 2026, and trained under Rubens Charles, known as Cobrinha. His offensive arsenal is particularly dangerous when attacking the legs: three of his UFC BJJ victories came by heel hook. In February, he finished his match against Bebeto Oliveira after just 19 seconds, while in August he had to go through every round to defeat Mourece Ramirez by decision.
Barboza comes from the Brazilian Dream Art team and earned the opportunity to face Fonacier through his success at the UFC BJJ Opens competition in Las Vegas. This will be his debut in the main UFC BJJ series, and he will immediately be competing for a title. Fonacier has already demonstrated how he brings his pace and submission threats into the Bowl, while Barboza has yet to show how he will respond to that environment and its judging system.
Six announced matchups and different sporting storylines
During UFC BJJ 12, six matches were announced for the next event. This is the currently known portion of the program, not a guarantee of the final order of appearances or a complete schedule. It is particularly important to distinguish the featured title fight from the still-unconfirmed arrangement of the main event and co-main event.
- Jalen Fonacier - Kleber Barboza: fight for the vacant men's bantamweight belt.
- Nick Rodriguez - Natã Tenca: light heavyweight matchup.
- Ffion Davies - Jaine Fragoso: women's bantamweight division.
- Liam Crelinsten - Seilkhan Bolatbek: welterweight division.
- Martín Gonzalez - João Nicolite: middleweight division.
- Tristan Sainz - David Weintraub: lightweight division.
Liam Crelinsten, the brother of Ethan Crelinsten, who recently fought for a belt, will face Seilkhan Bolatbek from Kazakhstan. João Nicolite returns after an earlier appearance against Nick Rodriguez, this time facing Martín Gonzalez. The order of these and the other matches has not yet been announced.
Nick Rodriguez vs. Natã Tenca: wrestling or attacks from the guard
Nick Rodriguez, also known as Nicky Rod, is one of the most recognizable competitors in no-gi grappling. His journey began in wrestling, after which he became an ADCC finalist and won the heavyweight division at the 2024 Craig Jones Invitational. The strength of his game lies not only in takedowns but also in his ability to follow them up with pressure from the top position, pass the guard and take the back. This is particularly important in UFC BJJ, where control alone is valued less than progress toward a submission.
In September, Rodriguez challenged champion Mason Fowler at UFC BJJ 11. Their encounter ended in a split draw, allowing Fowler to retain his title. Rodriguez had successful sequences from the top position, including guard passes and a choke attempt. Will he be able to turn that pressure into a submission this time?
Natã Tenca represents a different sporting trajectory. The Brazilian from Atos Jiu-Jitsu won a world title in 2026, received his black belt that same year and then also won the Pan No-Gi Championship. In that competition, he demonstrated leg attacks and work from the guard. The initial engagement will therefore be crucial: if Rodriguez establishes his rhythm of takedowns and guard passes, Tenca will look for an opportunity to reverse the position or apply a submission from the bottom. If Tenca manages to entangle his opponent's legs early, Rodriguez will have to defend himself before he can begin imposing control.
Ffion Davies and Jaine Fragoso: experience against debut momentum
Ffion Davies from Wales holds an ADCC title from 2022 as well as IBJJF world titles. She has already competed for the women's bantamweight belt in UFC BJJ: in March 2026, she lost to Cassia Moura by split decision. In June, she responded with a victory over Amanda Bruse by armbar. Her judo background and positional control create opportunities for chokes and joint locks.
Jaine Fragoso, a Brazilian competitor making her UFC BJJ debut, arrives with a different run of results. She won the title at Jiu-Jitsu CON No-Gi 2026 and, earlier that same year, the Main Character competition belt, and she already has experience on the podium at the IBJJF World Championship. Her repertoire includes foot and ankle attacks, making it particularly interesting to see whether she can force Davies to defend her legs from the opening grip. A victory would be important for the balance of power in the division, but it has not been announced that the winner will automatically receive a title opportunity.
What previous UFC BJJ events have shown
The most recent event, UFC BJJ 12, held on October 8 at the same venue, provided a good example of the differences between styles. Cassia Moura defeated Adele Fornarino by split decision and added the flyweight title to her bantamweight belt. Fornarino threatened with leg attacks, but Moura managed to respond with takedowns and control during certain portions of the match. In another title fight, Renato Canuto defeated Ethan Crelinsten by unanimous decision to win the lightweight belt.
The same program demonstrated how quickly a match can end: Gabriel Almeida defeated Gilbert Burns by heel hook in the first round, while Thaynara Victoria beat Danielle Kelly by armbar, also in the first round. A seemingly calm battle for position therefore does not mean that a finish is far away. It is more useful to watch knee control, hip positioning and the ability to free the arms than simply to observe who is on top.
Rules that change how you watch a fight
UFC BJJ differs from MMA because strikes are not permitted. Matches take place without a gi, over three five-minute rounds with one minute of rest between rounds. If there is no submission, judges score each round using the 10-point must system, with genuine submission threats carrying more weight than the duration of control alone. Active actions such as takedowns, guard passes and positional changes are evaluated next, followed by the length of control.
For spectators, several technical details are worth watching live. During a leg entanglement, it is important to see whether the opponent can free their knee, while during a guard pass, the key is whether the attacker can move into side control or attack the back. After a takedown, watch whether the wrestler maintains the advantage or the opponent turns the fall into a submission attempt. The rules also provide for warnings and penalties for passivity.
The competition surface is called the Bowl. Instead of an MMA cage, it is an open mat with curved edges that help keep the action within the area. As a result, fighting near the edge is not simply a matter of stepping outside the mat: competitors can use the incline to shift their balance and initiate a new submission attempt. This creates a different perspective on the battle for distance, although wrestling, wrist control and submission threats remain essential.
Meta APEX: a venue built for combat sports and television production
Meta APEX is located at 6650 El Camino Road in Las Vegas, immediately next to UFC headquarters. The complex opened in 2019 as UFC APEX, primarily as a venue for sports broadcasting and production, and was renamed Meta APEX in 2026. It hosts UFC Fight Night events, Dana White's Contender Series and UFC BJJ, but each format has its own rules and a different competition-area setup.
For watching grappling, the compact nature of the venue is important. Instead of a distant view from the stands of a large arena, Meta APEX brings spectators closer to the competition area. Lighting, competitor entrances and audience reactions accompany changes of position that take place almost directly in front of the spectators.
For 2026, UFC announced an expansion of spectator capacity to approximately 1,000 seats, additional facilities and wider ticket availability for the general public. That information describes the development of the complex, not a guaranteed number of seats available specifically for UFC BJJ 13. Because the venue is more limited in size than large sports arenas, it is worth securing tickets in good time and checking the seating arrangement before arriving.
Getting there, entry and planning your evening in Las Vegas
The most important practical detail is the difference between the time the doors open and the start of the program. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., while UFC BJJ 13 is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. Las Vegas time. No official end time has been published, so it is unwise to arrange return transportation based on the assumption that every match will last the full fifteen minutes. Submissions can shorten the competition, while entrances, breaks and production segments affect the overall duration.
Visitors arriving by car can set their navigation to El Camino Road rather than one of the large arenas along the Las Vegas Strip. There are parking areas around the complex, but no guarantee of parking spaces or special parking arrangements for all visitors has been announced for this event. Taxis or ride-hailing services are alternatives for guests staying in the Strip hotel district.
Public transportation is provided by the RTC Southern Nevada network. Guides to reaching the venue mention bus routes 102 Jones and 212 Sunset, followed by a section of the journey on foot. Timetables and the exact destination stop should be checked for the day of the event; the complex itself is not a stop on the Strip's main tourist route. Accommodation and travel should therefore be planned around the specific address.
- Date and location: Thursday, October 29, 2026, Meta APEX, 6650 El Camino Road, Las Vegas.
- Doors open: 4:00 p.m. local time.
- Program starts: 5:00 p.m. local time.
- Entry: mobile tickets that are scanned at the entrance are planned for the event.
- Before arrival: check the bag policy, parking conditions and any changes to the order of fights.
Since this is a single-day ticket, it is best to plan your arrival around the entire evening rather than just one fight. Particularly for visitors from other time zones, it is important to remember that the stated schedule refers to local Pacific Time. Anyone who wants to experience the fight for the new belt and the other announced matchups up close can secure tickets in advance and, before traveling, check the program, entry rules and transportation options for returning to their accommodation once more.
Sources:
- UFC - 2026 UFC BJJ event calendar, competition format and scoring rules.
- UFC - results of UFC BJJ 10, UFC BJJ 11 and UFC BJJ 12, and the development of the Meta APEX complex.
- Meta APEX event calendar - date, local start time, door opening time, address and mobile tickets for UFC BJJ 13.
- VF Comunica - six announced matchups, profiles of Fonacier, Rodriguez, Tenca, Davies and Fragoso.
- MMA Fighting - Mikey Musumeci vacating the championship and the announced fight for the vacant belt.
- IBJJF - Natã Tenca's results at the 2026 championships.
- RTC Southern Nevada and Moovit - public transportation and access to the area around the venue.
- UFC APEX - history of the complex and location information.