Another superfight has been scheduled for UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 on December 10th, 2023 and this one will see Nicky Rodriguez facing Yuri Simoes. This will be a battle between two of the top competitors in the heavier weight classes, as both men have stood on the podium at ADCC multiple times over. Rodriguez has won a pair of silver medals in the over 99kg division, in his first appearance in 2019 and most recently at ADCC 2022. Simoes on the other hand is actually a three-time ADCC world champion after winning the under 88kg division in 2015, the under 99kg division in 2017, and the absolute division in 2022.
UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 won’t be the first time that Nicky Rodriguez and Yuri Simoes have come up against one another either, as the pair have shared the mats twice before. Their first meeting came back at Who’s Number One 7 in 2021 when Rodriguez won a referee decision in an incredibly tough match. It took over a year for them to cross paths again, but their second meeting was just as grueling as the first. Rodriguez stood in Simoes’ way in the quarter-final of the absolute division at ADCC 2022, but it was Simoes who won the referee decision this time around. There’s an important figure in both men’s careers headlining the card too, as Gordon Ryan will be facing Mason Fowler in the main event.
Ryan is not just the man to beat in the sport right now, but both Rodriguez and Simoes have plenty of history with him. Rodriguez has lost a pair of matches to Gordon Ryan and has a bitter rivalry with him, while Simoes has four losses to Ryan and is due to face him again in the superfight at ADCC 2024. The co-main event for UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 is equally exciting too, as Nicholas Meregali will be facing off against Felipe Pena. While there are still plenty of matches to be announced for the card, there is one other superfight that has already been confirmed as Dan Manasoiu will be facing Victor Hugo at the event.
Nicky Rodriguez announced the news that he was going to compete against Yuri Simoes at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 in a recent post to his official Instagram account: