UFC BJJ Debuts June 25th
Reality TV show begins airing daily episodes on June 17th, with first major event on June 25th. Not complicated at all.
Following Mikey Musumeci’s historic signing as the UFC’s first exclusive grappler, the UFC promised they would begin investing into the competitive grappling scene over the next year. Now, the organization is unveiling its ambitious plans to reshape their BJJ ambitions.
Among the highlights are a reimagined grappling competition series, a new reality show, and a redesigned combat arena. The UFC’s long-running “Fight Pass Invitational” (FPI) series will be retired and replaced by a new brand: UFC BJJ. And yes, this was probably the most terrible name they came up with since FPI. I am honestly more upset at the lazy branding/naming convention, than anything else.
Another UFC Project
The UFC have gotten in the habit recently in trying to expand its services as a sports organization into several ventures. We of course know about the attempt by Dana White to get boxing going, only for it to fall apart. Grappling has been a long time “we sorta want this to exist” project by the UFC with their development of the FPI series. Those, on paper, were fine. However it became a bit more clear that it was not really something the suits at the UFC cared much about. Putting on events every other month, with not the best names or match ups really set that tone. With that said, and following the success of Craig Jones Invitational last year and the seeming explosion of “let’s use a pit wall as a gimmick” within grappling, something I actually think works well, the UFC are back to trying to copy what someone else is doing, but with UFC branding. That, historically, has worked out for them in the past.
The inaugural event for this newly rebranding organization is scheduled for June 25, 2025, during UFC International Fight Week. The main draw, is that the card is crowning three divisional champions alongside a main event featuring Mikey Musumeci and rising talent Rerisson Gabriel, who recently claimed the 2025 IBJJF Pans title.
Reality TV: The UFC’s Favorite Crutch
Complementing the competition is a new reality series titled UFC BJJ: Road to the Title, modeled after The Ultimate Fighter. This, honestly, shouldn’t be surprising for anyone as the UFC seems to love relying on reality TV to get any interest in any of their projects. This was true with MMA when The Ultimate Fighter debuted on SpikeTV, saving the promotion. It also happened when Dana White tried to force feed everyone Power Slap via Power Slap: Road to the Title (oh, so the marketing really is that low effort). However, this didn’t work as well and Power Slap was vanquished from the TBS network to the void that is Rumble, the right wing grifter’s YouTube alternative.
Oh, I’m sorry it apparently is failing even on that platform. Hmm, wonder why?
Anyway, UFC BJJ: The Road to the Title (which again, let’s just point out how uninspiring that name is) is set to debut on June 17, with daily episodes, yes DAILY EPISODES, streaming for free on YouTube. Why this couldn’t be built up over time organically is beyond me. It’s not like the UFC haven’t already used their YouTube channel to try and inflate Power Slap’s numbers so why can’t we do the same but for a sport people actually would want to watch?
Sorry, I got sidetracked again. Let’s continue.
The program will follow 16 elite grapplers—eight lightweights and eight welterweights—as they train and compete under the guidance of coaches Musumeci and Gabriel.
The finalists from each weight class will earn a spot on the UFC BJJ 1 card, where they’ll vie for inaugural championship belts.
Notable Competitors and Potential Impacts
The show’s cast includes some accomplished names in grappling, as you’d expect. In the welterweight division, standout athletes include Andrew Tackett, Andy Varela, and Jason Nolf. The lightweight bracket features stars like Keith Krikorian, Gianni Grippo, and Josh Cisneros. These six names alone, are quite fun to watch.
The remainder of the competitors looks to provide a good range of athletes and so we can only hope they won’t stall and be boring. But it is grappling and a UFC ran organization so, that’s still likely.
Full Cast List
Lightweights:
Keith Krikorian
Gianni Grippo
Isaac Doederlein
Josh Cisneros
Carlos Henrique
Danilo Moreira
Mauricio Rios
Kyvann Gonzalez
Welterweights:
Andrew Tackett
Jason Nolf
Andy Varela
Davis Asare
Elijah Carlton
Aaron Wilson
Austin Oranday
Nathan Haddad
As an aside, the UFC likes to sign athletes to exclusive contracts. Though that wasn’t the case when they were running FPIs, but since this is a major shift in how their grappling venture is organized it’s safe to assume that exclusive contracts will become a thing. Meaning, the likes of Tackett and others participating in future CJI events may be zero as contractual obligations could limit crossover appearances.
Which is a shame because, frankly put, I don’t think the UFC is going to put on enough of these events initially to warrant the exclusivity in any of the contracts should those exist.