‘Dagestani Mikey’ Musumeci gets foot lock at UFC BJJ 5, Fonacier records fastest sub

UFC hosted their first grappling event of the year, with UFC BJJ 5 being topped by two title bouts. Both champions retained their belts, with Mikey Musumeci attempting to offer something new during the main event.

Check here for full results from UFC BJJ 5.

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Mikey Musumeci showcases top game, still wins with foot lock to defend UFC BJJ title

In the main event, leg lock specialist Mikey Musumeci came out sporting a beard and noted that he’ll be “Dagestani Mikey” this time around as he promised to showcase his top game. The UFC BJJ bantamweight champion actually decided to play from top for the first round and a half, but the match still ended like most Musumeci bouts do.

Shay Montague’s flexible guard was able to keep Musumeci at bay, but the champion eventually saw his leg available and went back to his A-game. Once he finally went for it, Musumeci got the tap due to a foot lock within seconds.

After the second round win, Musumeci called out UFC contender Arman Tsarukyan and said he’s willingly move up to his lightweight division for the match up.

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“Arman (Tsarukyan) called out (Tom Hardy) for a grappling match. Tom Hardy at this time was a purple belt. He called out a hobbyist purple belt for a grappling match, how about he competes against a jiu-jitsu person in a grappling match?” Musumeci said.

Ronaldo Junior defends UFC BJJ belt, Nicholas Meregali gets win in return from injury

In the second title bout on the card, Ronaldo Junior pushed the pace as he’s been known for again and successfully defended his UFC BJJ title against no gi world champion Tarik Hopstock. Interestingly enough, while he was still the one putting on the pressure the entire match, Junior noted that he was far from 100% and was even hospitalized earlier in the week due to an illness.

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Junior, one of the staples from the Atos team, noticeably walked out with different cornermen for this title bout as his Hall of Fame coach Andre Galvao is currently in the middle of a scandal.

After 17 months out since the massive upset and injury at ADCC 2024, Nicholas Meregali was successful in his return. While the Kingsway product wasn’t happy with his performance and said he felt rusty, the three-time IBJJF world champion was still fairly dominant as he earned a wide decision over the reigning no gi world champion in Nicholas Maglicic.

Meregali got a couple of slick sweeps, repeatedly passed his guard and settled into mount for several minutes. He earned multiple 10-8 rounds, as judges ended up giving him the victory with scores of 30-25, 30-26 and 29-26.

Jalen Fonacier lands fastest ever UFC BJJ submission, Andy Murasaki submits Andy Varela

Jalen Fonacier, who is one of our Best Breakthrough Grapplers of 2025, is making a habit of stealing the show in these UFC BJJ events. The Filipino grappling star not only beat a fellow world champion in Bebeto Oliveira, he also landed the fastest ever submission in UFC BJJ. It only took him 19 seconds to secure a heel hook finish.

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All three of Fonacier’s UFC BJJ wins came by quick heel hook finishes, which also marked three of the four fastest submissions in the promotions. It’s a pretty insane achievement for someone who apparently just learned the submission a few months ago.

After his third straight win at bantamweight, Fonacier made his case for UFC BJJ to finally open a flyweight division and be a title contender in his natural weight class. After the match, the 20-year-old also called for a match with BJJ legend Joao Miyao.

In another key main card bout and battle between veteran champs, former Atos star Andy Murasaki submitted Andy Varela with a slick choi bar with just seconds left in the first round. The win is Murasaki’s third in UFC BJJ/FPI, as he lines himself up closer to a potential title bout.

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