Welcome to the BJJ Beat! On this recurring feature, we’ll tackle the biggest news from the professional grappling scene, and roll everything up in an easily digestible and familiar jiu-jitsu format.

Warm Ups

UFC star Bo Nickal attends first gi class, gets promoted to purple belt

Bo Nickal, fresh off his highlight reel head kick KO win at UFC 322, is seemingly trying to cross train and tighten up his overall grappling game. He recently joined his first ever BJJ class in the gi, and the 3-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion immediately got promoted from blue to purple belt.

There were also some clips of Nickal rolling in the gi, where the UFC star can be seen applying (IBJJF illegal) heel hooks on poor blue belts.

Drills

UFC signs all-time BJJ great Mayssa Bastos; 3 bouts added to UFC BJJ 4

UFC BJJ 4 will close out the promotion’s grappling calendar on December 11, 2025, and it already has three title bouts booked on the event. Three more matches have been finalized for the card, and while it involves former UFC BJJ title contenders like Renato Canuto and Andy Varela, the biggest signing is an all-time great grappler in Mayssa Bastos.

Bastos, 28, has won a whopping 10 IBJJF world championships across gi and no gi. She has also added more major titles to her resume recently, as she took gold in both the 2025 IBJJF No Gi Euros and 2025 No Gi Pans. She used to have an exclusive deal with ONE Championship, where she held the promotion’s Atomweight submission grappling world title, making this switch over to UFC BJJ is a pretty big signing for the promotion.

Bastos faces an accomplished grappling veteran in Amanda Alequin at UFC BJJ 4.

The two other bouts added is Renato Canuto facing 10th Planet’s Alan Sanchez, and Andy Varela taking on Robby Malof.

UFC BJJ 4 fight card so far

• Andrew Tackett vs. Elijah Dorsey [WW title]
• William Tacket vs. Ronaldo Junior [MW title]
• Raquel Canuto vs. Aurelie LeVern [FW title]
• Renato Canuto vs. Alan Sanchez
• Bella Mir vs. Rana Willink
• Mayssa Bastos vs. Amanda Alequin
• Andy Varela vs. Robby Malof

Move of the Day

BJJ star Tye Ruotolo improves to 2-0 in MMA

BJJ superstar Tye Ruotolo has continued to impress, as he has improved to 2-0 in his young MMA career. The 22-year-old BJJ world champion showcased some of his striking, before submitting the previously undefeated Shozo Isojima (6-1) in the first round.

Ruotolo’s two MMA bouts have happened a little over two months apart, and both have ended by rear naked chokes. In grappling, Tye has titles in IBJJF, ONE Championship, and WNO.

Tye’s twin brother Kade Ruotolo is also balancing grappling and MMA careers, with the ADCC and CJI champion currently being 3-0 in mixed martial arts.

Rolls

Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera rematch set for… Combat Jiu-jitsu

UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber submitted Francisco Rivera with a rarely seen bulldog choke all the way back in 2014. The pair will now rematch more than a decade later, and instead of it being in MMA, it will instead be under Combat Jiu-jitsu rules.

This bout will have less risk of brain trauma — which is good since Faber is now 46, and Rivera 44 — but there still are some strikes that are allowed. The concept of “Combat jiu-jitsu” was founded by Eddie Bravo, and it allows palm strikes on the ground to add an element of realism to grappling matches.

The pair will rematch in Faber’s A1 Combat promotion, which will happen on January 30, 2026, and broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.

Cooldown

Polaris vs. WNO ‘Squads’ event set for January 2026

Polaris has switched over from UFC Fight Pass to FloGrappling, and it looks like fans will quickly get to experience what that change could mean. Soon after teasing a potential crossover, the two organizations have announced that a team grappling or “Squads” event between WNO and Polaris “all stars” will be happening on January 31, 2026.

Polaris recently concluded their year long team tournament, which saw Team Europe win the Squads title with a stacked roster of BJJ champions like Mateusz Szczecinski, Jozef Chen, Owen Jones, Eoghan O’Flanagan, and Taylor Pearman.

Review

To close things out, here are other interesting BJJ stories you might have missed:

• The next current generation! – BJJ prodigies Sarah Galvao and Cole Abate won big at IBJJF Crown, proving they’re not just prospects, but arguably the best in the world today.
• More teenage champions! – Speaking of incredibly gifted youngsters, Dorian Olivarez and Achilles Rocha both won gold at the ADCC East Coast Trials.
• 3-time Crown Champs! – Gabi Pessanha and Erich Munis continued to dominate and have won every single IBJJF Crown event.

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