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Today’s Top BJJ News — October 7, 2026

Daily BJJ News Briefing

October 7, 2026 · Updated 8:00 AM -07:00

#1

UFC BJJ 12 Set for Two Title Fights on October 8

UFC BJJ announced a major championship doubleheader for Thursday, October 8, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Cassia Moura will face Adele Fornarino for the inaugural women’s flyweight title, while Renato Canuto meets Ethan Crelinsten for the vacant lightweight championship. The card also includes Gilbert Burns vs. Gabriel Almeida and Danielle Kelly vs. Thaynara Victoria. [69]

Why it matters: UFC BJJ is adding two championship belts while bringing several established names from MMA, ONE Championship, ADCC and IBJJF competition into the same event. The Moura–Fornarino matchup is especially significant because both athletes have already established themselves as elite international competitors.

Social hook: Two UFC BJJ titles, Gilbert Burns, Danielle Kelly and an ADCC champion all converge in Las Vegas.

#2

Edson Barboza Signs With ACBJJ After Retiring From MMA

Former UFC standout Edson Barboza has signed with Absolute Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, according to an announcement from the grappling promotion. Barboza retired from MMA in August after a 17-year career and is now expected to continue competing in gi, no-gi and mixed grappling events. He previously drew with Sharabutdin Magomedov in a grappling match under the Hype FC banner. [70]

Why it matters: Barboza’s signing gives ACBJJ a recognizable combat-sports name and could bring new mainstream attention to professional grappling. It also adds another high-profile former UFC athlete to the rapidly expanding post-MMA grappling market.

Social hook: Edson Barboza is done with MMA—but his combat-sports career is moving to the jiu-jitsu mats.

#3

Pawel Jaworski Wins Double Gold at the IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship

Pawel Jaworski captured both the adult black-belt medium-heavyweight and absolute titles at the 2026 IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Polish standout won the heavyweight final by submission and later closed out the absolute division, securing his third Pan No-Gi championship. [71]

Why it matters: Jaworski’s performance reinforces his position as one of the most accomplished no-gi competitors of the current generation. The double-gold result also adds momentum after his historic ADCC World Championship victory earlier this season.

Social hook: ADCC champion Pawel Jaworski followed up with two more major titles at the IBJJF Pan No-Gi.

#4

José Aldo and Marlon Vera Grappling Match Ends in a Draw

José Aldo and Marlon Vera went the full 10 minutes in a submission-only grappling match at Hype Fighting’s October 4 event in Quito, Ecuador, with neither athlete securing a finish. Vera created the clearest submission threat with a heel-hook attempt, but Aldo escaped and the bout ended as a draw. [72]

Why it matters: The match revisited one of the UFC’s notable rivalries under a completely different ruleset and drew substantial attention because of both athletes’ profiles. It also highlighted the continued crossover between MMA stars and submission grappling events.

Social hook: Aldo vs. Vera went from UFC rivalry to submission-only grappling—and still could not produce a winner.

Editor’s Notes

The UFC BJJ 12 announcement and IBJJF Pan No-Gi results are supported by official or event-linked reporting. Barboza’s ACBJJ signing was reported as an official promotion announcement, but a directly accessible primary announcement was not located during this search. The Aldo–Vera result is corroborated by multiple reports

Sources

  1. https://www.onefc.com/news/helena-crevar-pawel-jaworski-make-history-with-gold-medal-performances-at-the-2026-adcc-world-championships/
  2. https://www.onefc.com/news/shoya-ishiguro-vs-ruan-alvarenga-featherweight-submission-grappling-match-added-to-one-fight-night-48/
  3. https://www.flograppling.com/
  4. https://www.onefc.com/news/one-fight-night-48-mma-and-submission-grappling-results-cesar-and-alvarenga-emerge-victorious-in-bangkok/
  5. https://www.flograppling.com/collections/6762055-wno-flograppling
  6. https://grapplersnews.jp/en
  7. https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-bjj-announces-launch-ufc-bjj-opens
  8. https://www.flograppling.com/?trk=public_post_main-feed-card_reshare-text
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  10. https://www.flograppling.com/live/26326-flograppling-wno-gordon-ryan-vs-vagner-rocha
  11. https://www.bjjnews.com/?cursor=eyJpZCI6IjM4Mzk5YmRiLWQ4YzItNGU1OS04Y2JjLWE2ZWM3NjY5OWI4YyIsInNvcnRBdCI6IjIwMjYtMDktMTVUMDM6NDA6MTIuNDM4WiJ9&limit=16
  12. https://www.flograppling.com/articles/16167866-grappling-bulletin-adcc-week-masters-worlds-ebi-change-more
  13. https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/1wbnvcf/watching_adcc_2026/
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_BJJ_7
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikey_Musumeci
  16. https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/1wfp6bo/spoiler_post_2026_adcc_thread/
  17. https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/1wqu0ne/ufc_bjj_vs_adcc/
  18. https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/1wfeto3/upset_about_the_77kg_adcc_final_of_pj_barch_vs/
  19. https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/1wa22vm/can_we_get_a_little_hype_for_the_matchups_and/
  20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_BJJ_8