Andrew Tackett's Title Reign Faces a Gracie: UFC BJJ 10 Preview

Andrew Tackett has turned the UFC BJJ welterweight division into his personal playground. Since submitting Andy Varela in the first round to grab the belt at UFC BJJ 1, he's defended it three times and finished two of those challengers inside a single round. On Thursday at the Meta APEX, he puts the strap on the line again against Jonnatas Gracie in the main event of UFC BJJ 10.

Gracie earned this by talking his way into it. After a unanimous decision over Yan Lucas at UFC BJJ 5 back in February, he grabbed the mic and called out the champ directly. The matchmakers liked what they saw enough to sign off, and now the Brazilian gets to test whether the 170-pound king is as untouchable as the highlight reel suggests.

The Champion's Only Blemish Isn't a Loss

Tackett's résumé reads like a submission clinic. He D'Arce-choked Renato Canuto in round one at UFC BJJ 2, then came back less than four months later to heel-hook Elijah Dorsey, also in the first, at UFC BJJ 4. The one wrinkle came this year: veteran grappler Vagner Rocha dragged him to the scorecards at UFC BJJ 7, the first time Tackett's ever needed the judges. He still walked out with a unanimous decision and the belt.

The co-main hands Rebeca Lima her first defense of the women's featherweight title. Lima's climb was fast and violent by grappling standards: an Estima-lock finish of Taylor Ellis at UFC BJJ 5, then a unanimous decision over champion Aurelie Le Vern at UFC BJJ 7, where she flipped Le Vern's aggressive top game and hunted submissions off her back for three rounds.

A Grudge With a Backstory

Her challenger, Brianna Ste-Marie, has a personal stake here. A former combat jiu-jitsu world champion who landed a Von Flue choke at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 last March, Ste-Marie was originally booked to fight Le Vern for the title at UFC BJJ 7. She withdrew, Lima stepped in, and Lima walked away champion. Now Ste-Marie wants back the chance she never got to take.

The undercard rolls out both semi-finals of the women's flyweight grand prix. Reigning bantamweight champ Cassia Moura, riding four straight wins in the Bowl including a second-round rear-naked choke of Sabrina Gondim at UFC BJJ 8, moves down to face debutant Bre "The American Savage" Stikk. The other semi pits Adele Fornarino, who kneebarred Alexandria Enriquez in round one on her debut, against fellow debut-winner Carol Brunacio, with a 125-pound title shot waiting for whoever survives.