UFC BJJ: Flo GM Says 10 of 12 Matches Are Boring
Ben Kovacs praised the production of the UFC event but criticized the lack of submissions and rivalries in the matches
FloGrappling general manager Ben Kovacs took a hard swing at UFC BJJ. In a conversation posted on Flo’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, November 4, he praised the UFC event’s production but said most of what happens in the Bowl doesn’t hold viewers’ attention.
“Like 10 of the 12 matches suck. They’re boring. There’s no submissions,” Kovacs said.
Great show, boring matches
Kovacs split his criticism in two. On the presentation, he had nothing but praise. “They’ve got great lighting and production. They’ve got awesome graphics,” he said, before adding: “And then, you know, it’s like every other event.”
His problem is the feel of the product. “It’s just it feels very corporate whitewashed. It feels like from the uniform all the way to the perfect rounds to the lighting to the scoring to the way they do the PR. I just think it’s not necessarily what most jiu-jitsu people signed up for.”
He also wants more rivalry in the matchups. “There’s no animosity between the people. There’s no backstory. There’s no storyline, whatever you’d want to call it.”
Kovacs said he used to watch every card back when UFC BJJ streamed for free on YouTube. “All right, this one’s going to be good. And it was always just okay.”
What UFC BJJ 13 showed
The most recent card points the other way. At UFC BJJ 13, on October 29 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas, six of the nine matches ended in a submission, according to the UFC’s official results. Only three went to the judges.
In the main event, William Tackett choked out Jay Rodriguez in 86 seconds to win the middleweight title. Jasmine Rocha armbarred Karen Antunes in 38 seconds, and Nicky Rod caught Natã Tenca with an arm triangle in the third round.
That same night, UFC BJJ announced that title matches can no longer end in a draw. If the scorecards are even after three rounds, the match goes to a three-minute overtime. The change came after Mason Fowler and Nicky Rod drew at UFC BJJ 11 in September.
Competing for the same market
Kovacs speaks as an executive at a company that streams rival events. In the same conversation, he described a crowded market, with a lot of free content on YouTube, wealthy business people getting into the sport and the UFC with deep pockets behind its project.
“You have saturation, you have a lot of competition with free and you have big money players,” he said, adding that this “makes it really tough to create a viable business model.”
This isn’t the first time Flo’s general manager has taken aim at UFC BJJ. In 2025, he said Mikey Musumeci was “almost like the opposite of an MMA fans dream” and complained that UFC BJJ management wouldn’t take Flo’s calls.
The next chapter is already set. UFC BJJ 14 takes place on December 3 with two title matches.
What do you think?
Do you agree with Flo’s GM? Are UFC BJJ matches boring, or has the event gotten better?
Read more:
UFC BJJ 13: Fonacier beats Kleber Barboza for the title
UFC BJJ ends draws in title matches with overtime
