Mikey Musumeci backed up his promises with a second-round submission victory over Shay Montague at UFC BJJ 5, capturing bantamweight gold in the main event Thursday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The submission specialist finished Shay Montague with a foot lock in the second round, though the submissiion seemed at odds with his stated goal to abandon leg-based attacks. Leading up to the event, Mikey Musumeci had declared a complete stylistic transformation, sporting a new beard and announcing plans to focus exclusively on wrestling and guard passing.
“I have the beard now. I’m growing a beard. I’m from Dagestan now,”
Mikey Musumeci said during his appearance on the UFC Weigh In Show.
“This year I’m a new Mikey. I want to do more passing and takedowns. So gotta go full Dagestani to do it. Gotta channel that energy, you know.”
When reminded about his signature submission technique that earned him victory in a previous bout, Mikey Musumeci dismissed it with characteristic humor.
“That was so 2025. This is 2026 now.”
“I put this pressure on myself to make the matches more exciting,”
he said.
“It’s a rule set. The rules make jiu-jitsu more fun. The rule set now, you can’t just play strategy.”
In the co-main event, Ronaldo Junior successfully won against Tarik Hopstock by unanimous decision with judges scoring the match 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
The card also featured notable performances from Nicholas Meregali, who earned a unanimous decision over Nicholas Maglicic, and Jalen Fonacier, who secured a heel hook finish against Bebeto Oliveira in just 19 seconds.
Gemini said
UFC BJJ 5, Results
Bantamweight title
Mikey Musumeci def. Shay Montague, submission (foot lock), Round 2
Nada intimida o campeão!
Mikey Musumeci encontra resistência na guarda flexível de Montague, mas mantém a pressão total até o fim.
*Contém legenda automática.#UFCBJJnoCombate #UFCBJJ5 pic.twitter.com/dK6U9OAOR0
— Combate (@combate) February 13, 2026
Middleweight title
Ronaldo Junior def. Tarik Hopstock, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Nicholas Meregali def. Nicholas Maglicic, unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 29-26)
Andy Murasaki def. Andy Varela, submission (armbar), Round 1
FIRST ROUND FINISH
Andy Murasaki keeps his win streak alive!
Watch NOW: https://t.co/8c8hN4xEyt | #UFCBJJ5 pic.twitter.com/zoW1KmgwPI
— UFC BJJ (@ufcbjj) February 13, 2026
Rebeca Lima def. Taylor Hishaw, submission (Aoki lock), Round 2
Jonnatas Gracie def. Lucas Yan, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rerisson Gabriel def. Landon Elmore, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Carol Brunacio def. Mona Bailey, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Jalen Fonacier def. Bebeto Oliveira, submission (heel hook), Round 1 (19 seconds)
The Future is NOW
Jalen Fonacier needed only 19 SECONDS to find the submission at #UFCBJJ5!
Watch NOW: https://t.co/8c8hN4xEyt pic.twitter.com/53n9ZCRHQQ
— UFC BJJ (@ufcbjj) February 13, 2026
