UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 start time, full event preview | Nicky Rod vs. Pixley

UFC’s grappling arm is hosting another mid-week Brazilian jiu-jitsu event … and it will be headlined by an intriguing matchup between a newly-minted millionaire from CJI, Nick Rodriguez, and one of the standouts from ADCC 2024, Michael Pixley.

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 happens this week (Thurs., Oct. 10, 2024) with several jiu-jitsu stars in nine promising no-gi matches on the card. Below, we breakdown the three best bouts to look out for, including the main event clash between Rodriguez vs. Pixley.

UFC FPI 8: “Rodriguez vs. Pixley” | 3 Must-Watch Matches

Nicky Rod vs. Michael Pixley

UFC FPI 8 will look to capitalize on the momentum from Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) and Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) after the rival organizations recently hosted massive events in the same city and same weekend.

“Nicky Rod” is fresh of his incredible run at the inaugural CJI showcase, submitting every opponent and taking home the highest prize money ever in jiu-jitsu (watch highlights). Pixley, on the other hand, fell short of a medal against more experienced veterans, but completely stole the show at ADCC 2024.

Much like his more popular teammate in Gordon Ryan, Nicholas Meregali came in ADCC 2024 as a brash and outspoken tournament favorite. He repeatedly guaranteed “easy” gold medals in two divisions, but Pixley swiftly put an end to those plans. Indeed, the NCAA Division II champion (McKendree University) flexed his wrestling chops on the feet, and put Meregali on his highlight reel that’ll play for years to come:

For years, Nicky Rod dominated jiu-jitsu champions in large part because of his wrestling, but Pixley is among the very few professional grapplers who could match and beat him in that skill.

Can Pixley pull off another massive upset at UFC FPI 8? It certainly makes for an intriguing clash of styles, but Nicky Rod is the favorite for a reason.

While initially known as “The Black Belt Slayer,” Rodriguez’s overall game has drastically improved and he’s now a full-fledged black belt himself. He’s always been an incredible athlete, but he’s far more efficient these days as he typically sits to guard and wrestles up. His trademark body lock passing is now also complemented by slick back takes.

Pixley could have success standing and while countering takedowns, especially if he lands straight into a dominant position. That said, Rodriguez should be hard to control and he’ll have a better overall grappling once it hits the mat. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he just immediately sits to guard and works to sweep, instead of trying to fully stand up with a national champion wrestler.

The scrambles should be fun to watch either way, though.

Gabriel Sousa vs. Josh Cisneros

While the big boys typically draw the most attention in jiu-jitsu events because of the prestige of taking “double gold” at the absolute divisions, it’s actually the smaller grapplers that are generally more technical and fun to watch. Gabriel Sousa vs. Josh Cisneros is the perfect way to build excitement in the card, as it’s almost guaranteed to be an entertaining, fast paced scrap that’s full of scrambles.

Sousa, an ADCC silver medalist in 2022, has a win over Cisneros in the past by points, but that was in the gi and it happened three years ago. Cisneros also looked great in his recent ADCC 2024 run, where he took bronze and only lost to the two-time champion in Diogo Reis. It’s hard to predict if we’ll end up with the same result in this no gi rematch, but it has potential to be the most entertaining match on the card.

Dante Leon vs. Andy Varela

PJ Barch vs. Renato Canuto is slotted as UFC FPI 8’s co-main event, and it’s a smart choice for viewers as both have fan-friendly and flashy games (Canuto especially). That said, Barch has improved significantly in recent years and he already has a recent win over Canuto, so for this list, I suggest keeping an eye out for the previous bout instead.

Leon is a two-time, no-gi world champion and two-time ADCC bronze medalist. He’ll be the smaller man facing a strong, well-rounded and very game Varela, but newer fans to grappling could be in for a treat as they could see the reason(s) Leon is considered among the best pound-for-pound talents in the sport.

UFC FPI 8: “Rodriguez vs. Pixley” | Full Fight Card

Nicky Rodriguez vs Michael Pixley — Openweight
Renato Canuto vs PJ Barch — 170 pounds
Isaque Bahiense vs Ronaldo Junior — 185 pounds
Andy Varela vs Dante Leon — 170 pounds
Raquel Canuto vs Gabrielle McComb — 145 pounds
Gabriel Sousa vs Josh Cisneros — 155 pounds
Cassia Moura vs Cindy Ung — 135 pounds
Gabriel Almeida vs Johan Oosthuysen — 215 pounds (Catchweight)
Pedro Falcao vs Cristian Guzman — 155 pounds

UFC FPI 8: “Rodriguez vs. Pixley” | How to Watch, Live Stream, Start Time

UFC FPI 8 will happen on Oct. 10, 2024, and as its name alludes to, will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass. The event will start streaming on UFC’s media platform starting at 8 p.m. ET.

For more video previews, you can watch UFC veteran, Matt Arroyo, as well as Craig Jones, give their thoughts on the card below:

For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling-related news click here.