Bryce Mitchell will become the first active UFC fighter to face off with a UFC BJJ champion when he enters the bowl Sept. 24 to take on Mikey Musumeci, the promotion announced Saturday. The match will be contested at featherweight, so Musumeci’s bantamweight belt is not on the line.
The non-title clash serves as the headliner for UFC BJJ 11, while Mason Fowler puts his light heavyweight belt on the line against Nicky Rod in the co-main event.
Mitchell competed three times in grappling matches over the last nine months, most notably a draw against fellow UFC fighter Jean Silva in March. The other two contests happened under the EBI banner in September of 2025, with Mitchell defeating JJ Bowers before tapping out to a heel hook against Landon Elmore later that night.
“Thug Nasty” has scored the majority of his 19 MMA wins by submission, forcing a tap-out on 10 occasions, but only two happened since joining the UFC in 2018. His most recent one was a June victory over Santiago Luna at the Meta APEX, when he got the finish with an arm-triangle choke with eight seconds left in the final round.
Musumeci, a four-time IBJJF world champion as a black belt, is undefeated under the UFC BJJ banner after a perfect grappling career in ONE Championship, winning and defending his 135-pound title with four heel hooks in a row in a span of 11 months.
