UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 took place on June 29th, 2023 and there were several exciting matches and great results throughout the event. The main event was a gritty war between Craig Jones and Felipe Pena, with neither man able to gain a concrete advantage during the regulation time. It was Jones who won in the end though, with after registering the fastest escape in EBI overtime. Nicholas Meregali was competing against Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu in another superfight at the event and this one also needed an EBI overtime round in order to determine a winner. It was Meregali who got the submission though, locking up a tight armbar to win the match.
Other superfights used different rulesets, with UFC veterans Glover Teixeira and Anthony Smith engaging in a tough match where neither man could find the finish. Teixeira was awarded the victory by decision instead of using an EBI overtime round. Additionally, Roman Bravo-Young made his BJJ debut against Alex Perez and although he put on a fantastic display of elite grappling from start to finish, the match was ruled a draw. The sole women’s match of the card was also the only one that saw a finish in regulation time, as teenage prodigy Helena Crevar submitted black belt competitor Emily Fernandez.
The main attraction of the event was actually an absolute tournament that was stacked with 8 top grapplers from different weight classes. There were several fun matches throughout, and plenty of tough battles that required EBI overtime in order to determine a winner. Nicky Rodriguez grinded his way through the first two matches in order to book his place in the final, while the opposite side of the bracket saw Dan Manasoiu submit two opponents in less than four minutes collectively. Just as we predicted in our official preview of the event, Rodriguez made good on his status as the favorite coming into the tournament when he managed to submit Manasoiu in overtime in the final.
UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 Full Results
Craig Jones defeats Felipe Pena via Decision – Fastest Escape Time in EBI Overtime
Glover Teixeira defeats Anthony Smith via Decision – Unanimous
Nicholas Meregali defeats Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu via Submission – Armbar in EBI Overtime
Roman Bravo-Young v Alex Perez ends in a Draw
Helena Crevar defeats Emily Fernandez via Submission – Rear-naked Choke (7:26)
Absolute Tournament
Quarter-Finals
Nicky Rodriguez defeats Roberto Jimenez via Decision – Fastest Escape Time in EBI Overtime
Vagner Rocha defeats Fellipe Andrew via Submission – Inside Heel Hook (6:18)
Fedor Nikolov defeats Haisam Rida via Decision – Fastest Escape Time in EBI Overtime
Dan Manasoiu defeats Gabriel Arges via Submission – Heel Hook (3:20)
Semi-Finals
Nicky Rodriguez defeats Vagner Rocha via Submission – Rear-naked Choke in EBI Overtime
Dan Manasoiu defeats Fedor Nikolov via Submission – Kneebar (0:18)
Final
Nicky Rodriguez defeats Dan Manasoiu via Submission – Rear-naked Choke in EBI Overtime
The full UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 event replay, including all of the above results, is available to watch on UFC Fight Pass.
