UFC BJJ 7 is tonight. Three title fights. The promotion's most stacked card to date. And the matchup the grappling world has been requesting since both men signed — Nicholas Meregali vs Nicky Rod — isn't on it.
Again.
Here's what is.
In the main event, Andrew Tackett defends his welterweight title against Vagner Rocha. Tackett is 22. He's finished all three of his UFC BJJ opponents — rear-naked choke, D'Arce choke, heel hook. One per defense, no repeats, no decisions. He's the kind of champion a young promotion builds around.
His challenger is 43, openly on testosterone replacement therapy, and was hospitalized with heart failure in January 2025 after his resting heart rate hit 130 just standing up. Rocha has competed in zero UFC BJJ events. This is his first. It's also a title fight. UFC BJJ announced its PED ban three months ago. They booked this match after that.
In the co-main, lightweight champ Carlos Henrique faces Lucas Valente. Valente is a back-to-back IBJJF no-gi world champion — and has never set foot on a UFC BJJ mat. His debut is a title fight. Same deal with Rebeca Lima, who replaced Brianna Ste-Marie to challenge women's featherweight champ Aurelie Le Vern. Two debut fighters. Two title shots. Zero UFC BJJ matches between them.
That's either a talent pool so deep it can pull title challengers off the shelf, or a roster so thin it has to.
Nicholas Meregali was supposed to be here. He's out with an injury, replaced by Patrick Gaudio against Declan Moody. This is the same Meregali who two weeks ago said UFC BJJ's rules "don't serve jiu-jitsu" and publicly questioned whether the belt means anything. The promotion's most bankable heavyweight keeps criticizing the product and leaving the building. Seven events in, that's a pattern.
The actual bright spot: Adele Fornarino makes her UFC BJJ debut against Alex Enriquez. Fornarino won both her weight class and absolute at ADCC 2024 — the first Australian to win either — then left Atos and publicly called out abuse of power in the sport. She earned this platform the old way.
So: three title fights. Two debut challengers who've never competed here. One star on the bench who doesn't believe in the belt. One 43-year-old on TRT getting a title shot he didn't earn inside the promotion. And the matchup the fanbase keeps asking for — the one that would actually sell this thing — still lives exclusively in comment sections.
Meregali vs Nicky Rod doesn't exist. Seven events in, that might be the most honest thing you can say about UFC BJJ.
Sources
- UFC BJJ 7: Tackett vs Rocha Fight Card
- Why Did UFC BJJ Book 43-Year-Old Vagner Rocha With a Failing Heart and TRT for a Title Match?
- Vagner Rocha Hospitalized After Heart Failure Diagnosis
- Vagner Rocha Confesses He's on TRT
- Meregali: UFC BJJ Rules Are Not Serving the Sport
- Meregali on UFC BJJ Belt: I Don't Know If It Has the Meaning of Being World Champion
- Adele Fornarino Speaks Out After Polaris Win: A Call to Confront Abuse of Power
- Vagner Rocha To Challenge Andrew Tackett for UFC BJJ Welterweight Title
- UFC BJJ 7: Tackett vs Rocha — Full Fight Card, Start Time & How to Watch
This post was generated by AI. Sources are linked above. Follow @bjj-problems on YouTube for the weekly video digest.