Sports

Jiu-Jitsu & Judo

UFC BJJ 13 puts two titles on the line Thursday in Las Vegas

Tackett meets Jay Rodriguez at middleweight, and Fonacier faces Barbosa for the vacant bantamweight belt

LAS VEGAS — UFC BJJ 13 airs Thursday from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Coverage starts at 5 p.m. Pacific (8 p.m. Eastern) on UFC Fight Pass. The main event is for the middleweight title: William Tackett against Jay Rodriguez. In the co-feature, Jalen Fonacier and Kleber Barbosa meet for the bantamweight championship. Fonacier went to the scorecards for the first time in UFC BJJ in his last outing and won a unanimous decision. The undercard includes Nick Rodriguez against Nata Tenca at light heavyweight, and Ffion Davies against Jaime Fragoso at women's bantamweight. Jasmine Rocha faces Faren Antunes at women's flyweight. Heavyweights Pat Downey and Ian Daube also meet. The promotion's Opens series goes to CoBank Arena in Denver on Nov. 21, and UFC BJJ 14 is set for Dec. 3 back at the Meta Apex.

Why it mattersUFC's monthly BJJ product is now the main professional grappling circuit for many athletes, and Thursday's two title fights test its growing champion roster.

BJJ TV: UFC BJJ 13 preview trade

Galvao and Palhares to meet again in combat jiu-jitsu at ACBJJ 23

The 2011 ADCC finalists rematch Nov. 13 in Rio under rules that allow body strikes

RIO DE JANEIRO — Andre Galvao and Rousimar Palhares are booked for a rematch in the main event of ACBJJ 23. The card is Nov. 13 at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. They last met in the 2011 ADCC final at 88 kg in Nottingham, England, where Galvao won 9-4. This time they will fight at 100 kg (about 220 lbs) under Combat Jiu-Jitsu rules, which allow punches and kicks to the body but ban strikes to the head. Rounds are scored 10-9 on impact, control and aggression, according to promoter and former UFC fighter Davi Ramos. The promotion announced the bout on Oct. 21. The co-main event is a no-gi match between UFC veterans Kelvin Gastelum and Vieira, who won the under-99 kg ADCC title in 2015. The booking is not an ADCC event.

Why it mattersThe card shows how ex-ADCC stars and former MMA fighters are being booked into hybrid-rule shows, which sit between grappling and MMA.

MiddleEasy: Palhares vs. Galvao, Gastelum vs. Vieira announced for ACBJJ 23 trade · BJJEE: Andre Galvao vs Rousimar Palhares set for ACBJJ 23 trade

Costa wins no-gi open, Costha takes four black belt golds at IBJJF Boston

Day 1 Jiu-Jitsu took the gi team title in Sunday's final results of the Fall International Open

BOSTON — The IBJJF Boston Fall International Open ended Sunday with Gabriel Aguiar Costa of Vuk / 617 Brazilian Jiu-jitsu winning both the ultra heavy division and the open class in no-gi, per the federation's final results. Cicero Costha's academy collected four men's black belt gi golds, and Pedro Petronio Valenca Neto added another gi open title in master 1. Day 1 Jiu-Jitsu won the gi team title with 178 points. Cicero Costha Internacional and GF Team both finished on 169, with Costha listed second. Gianeis - The Lab Oteri BJJ won the no-gi team title with 95 points, ahead of Vuk / 617 on 81. Several masters competitors won double golds, including Everilton Paulino da Silva of SNCA BJJ, who took gi and no-gi titles at master 4. The IBJJF fall circuit continues with the No-Gi Europeans, which open Oct. 28.

Why it mattersThe result shows which teams are carrying momentum through the IBJJF's fall open circuit.

BJJ TV: Boston Fall International Open results trade

MMA

Kuniev hospitalized for leg X-rays after Volkov's UFC 333 kick barrage

Seven finishes in Abu Dhabi, yet the only fighter sent for scans lost a decision

ABU DHABI — Heavyweight Rizvan Kuniev was the only fighter taken to a hospital after UFC 333, and he had not been finished. UFC officials told MMA Mania he was sent for precautionary X-rays on his legs. Alexander Volkov had chopped at them with kicks for three rounds on the way to a unanimous decision. The cards were 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. Bloody Elbow noted the oddity. Seven fighters on the card were finished, six by knockout, but none of those losers was hospitalized. Kuniev is 34 and drops to 15-4-1, 2-2 in the UFC. The loss ended a run that included wins over Jailton Almeida and Tyrell Fortune. His scan results had not been made public as of Sunday. Volkov is now pushing for a title shot.

Why it mattersA leg injury to a top-five heavyweight would shape who is available for the division's 2027 title picture.

MMA Mania trade · Bloody Elbow trade · CBS Sports UFC 333 results

Reyes and Yakhyaev score light heavyweight knockouts; Reyes then attacks Cormier

A head-kick finish and a knee stoppage open the 205-pound picture after UFC 333

ABU DHABI — Two UFC 333 prelim knockouts reshaped light heavyweight. Dominick Reyes dropped Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick and left hand, then finished him with ground strikes at 2:40 of round one. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, 25, stopped veteran Nikita Krylov at 2:38 of round one with a knee against the fence. That left Yakhyaev 11-0 and 4-0 in the UFC. Reyes is 17-5. He named Paulo Costa or Khalil Rountree Jr. as his next opponent. Reyes and Yakhyaev were among four prelim fighters reported to have earned $25,000 finish bonuses. Afterward Reyes criticized commentator Daniel Cormier on X. He objected to being called 'kid' and alleged biased commentary. Forbes reports Cormier replied within 40 minutes and invited a conversation, which Reyes declined.

Why it mattersReyes and Yakhyaev both move into the conversation at 205 pounds, where a title challenger is still unsettled.

CBS Sports UFC 333 results · Bleacher Report UFC 333 live blog · Forbes

Sherdog rankings reshuffle after UFC 333 as heavyweight line forms

Volkanovski climbs the pound-for-pound list while Gane-Hokit and Pereira-Pavlovich set the heavyweight order

Sherdog updated its rankings on Monday after UFC 333. In the pound-for-pound list, Alexander Volkanovski rose two places after stopping Movsar Evloev, and Merab Dvalishvili fell four after losing the trilogy to Petr Yan. In the light heavyweight list, Dominick Reyes moved up and Azamat Murzakanov left the top 10. The heavyweight line is also taking shape. Ciryl Gane, now the undisputed champion, faces unbeaten Josh Hokit at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 14. Alex Pereira, 13-4, meets Sergei Pavlovich, 21-3, in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas. Bloody Elbow reports Alexander Volkov is positioning himself for a title shot in 2027.

Why it mattersThe rankings changes and the November and December bookings show who is next in line at heavyweight, the division with the most open title picture.

Sherdog rankings trade · ESPN: Pereira books Pavlovich at UFC 335 · Bloody Elbow trade