UFC BJJ 13 crowns new champions as William Tackett and Jalen Fonacier take vacant title belts

In Las Vegas on Oct. 29, William Tackett won the vacant middleweight championship by first-round rear-naked choke, while Jalen Fonacier captured the vacant bantamweight crown with a three-round unanimous decision over Kleber Barbosa.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

The UFC BJJ 13 main event delivered a quick finish for the vacant middleweight title. William Tackett defeated Jay Rodriguez with a rear-naked choke at 1:26 of Round 1 to cap a dominant championship performance at Meta APEX on Oct. 29.

UFC BJJ framed the bout as history in the making: Tackett’s win added a second sibling to UFC BJJ’s title picture, with the promotion noting he joined his brother Andrew as the first siblings to simultaneously hold UFC BJJ championship belts. The match itself began with Rodriguez landing an early blast double to the mat, but Tackett immediately reversed to a back-control position and secured the rear-naked choke finish.

The co-main event crowned a vacant bantamweight champion through the full three rounds. Jalen Fonacier defeated Kleber Barbosa by unanimous decision after the two competed at a high pace in no-gi action, with Fonacier repeatedly attacking Barbosa’s legs and looking for submission openings throughout the fight.

According to the event recap, Fonacier initially pulled guard to isolate a leg, while Barbosa evaded danger and threatened with his own leg attack before the two reset into a rhythm of top control attempts and heel hook and footlock threats. With no late submission secured, the judges awarded Fonacier the unanimous decision and the vacant title.

Other notable finishes on the card included Nick Rodriguez’s third-round arm-triangle choke over Nata Tenca, Ffion Davies’ first-round head-and-arm choke submission of Jaine Fragoso, and Jasmine Rocha’s fast armbar finish of Karen Antunes in 38 seconds. In Rocha’s matchup, Antunes immediately appealed the stoppage, claiming she had “slapped” Rocha, but the official upheld the decision as the referee stood by his call with replays supporting it.

Why It Matters

The event finalized two championship pictures by crowning titleholders in both the middleweight and bantamweight divisions, since each crown was vacant entering UFC BJJ 13.
Tackett’s middleweight title win placed him alongside his brother Andrew as the first UFC BJJ siblings to hold championship belts at the same time, according to the event recap.
Fonacier’s unanimous decision over a familiar opponent reinforces the bantamweight title race as the promotion looks ahead to subsequent title defenses after a vacancy was filled.

Sources

Key Facts

UFC BJJ 13 took place Oct. 29, 2026, at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
William Tackett captured the vacant UFC BJJ middleweight title by submitting Jay Rodriguez with a rear-naked choke at 1:26 of Round 1.
Jalen Fonacier won the vacant UFC BJJ bantamweight title, defeating Kleber Barbosa by unanimous decision after three rounds.
Nick Rodriguez defeated Nata Tenca via third-round arm-triangle choke.
Ffion Davies submitted Jaine Fragoso with a head-and-arm choke in Round 1.
Jasmine Rocha finished Karen Antunes with an armbar in 0:38 of Round 1; Antunes appealed the stoppage and the call was upheld.