UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 is scheduled for December 5th, 2024 and we’ve put together a full preview of the every matchups on this stacked card. Although most of the attention will be on the main event, where Mikey Musumeci makes his promotional debut against Felipe Machado; there are a ton of exciting and entertaining matches. One of the other big storylines coming into the evening will play out in the co-main event, as Jason Nolf takes the next step in his Jiu-Jitsu career by facing Renato Canuto. Several other competitors are making their promotional debut and alongside some returning veterans, there should be plenty for grappling fans to enjoy.
UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 Full Card Preview
Mikey Musumeci vs Felipe Machado – 135lbs
Felipe Machado is undoubtedly very talented and he’s always willing to throw caution to the wind in order to produce a highlight-reel finish. This will be the toughest test of his career so far though, as Mikey Musumeci is one of the greatest American competitors in the history of the sport. He’s been virtually unstoppable since his transition to no gi and throughout his career, his biggest challenges have come from opponents who have a size advantage over him. With Musumeci is competing at the weight class he’s always comfortable in, he should be able to win this match pretty convincingly.
Jason Nolf vs Renato Canuto – 175lbs
This is probably one of the most interesting matches in this preview of the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 card, as it’s a real clash of styles. Renato Canuto is a human highlight-reel machine and he usually maintains a pace that many competitors might find tough to keep up with. Jason Nolf is used to high-pace grappling thanks to his elite wrestling background though and he’s already shown that he’s picked up the submission element of Jiu-Jitsu very quickly. If Nolf can deal with Canuto’s submission threats off his back, during scrambles, and on the feet then he should be able to win a decision, but Canuto simply has more paths to victory here.
Nick Mataya vs Ronaldo Junior – 180lbs
Nick Mataya is one of the top prospects coming out of B-Team Jiu-Jitsu and he’s definitely one to keep an eye on for the future, but this is a pretty big challenge at this stage of his career. Ronaldo Junior is the reigning IBJJF no gi world champion and he’s notoriously tough to submit under any ruleset. It’s always tough to predict when someone in Mataya’s position will have that big breakthrough win and it may very well be in this match, but the most likely outcome here is that Junior gets the decision win.
Kyle Chambers vs Jonnatas Gracie – 185lbs
Kyle Chambers has been a top 10th Planet competitor for a while now and he’s always a tough opponent to deal with, particularly because of his great leg attacks. Although Jonnatas Gracie has been caught with leglocks before, he also has the perfect style to limit the number of opportunities that Chambers will get there. If Chambers can get an opening then he might be able to finish the match but the safe bet is on Gracie shutting him down early and maintaining top position all the way to a decision win.
Raquel Canuto vs Michele Oliveira – 140lbs
Raquel Canuto is a promotional veteran and she’s been steadily building up a great record over several events, with her biggest win coming at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 just a few months ago. She’s not taking a break or an easy match though, as Michele Oliveira is a fellow MMA veteran and submission specialist. This is a tough match to predict and it really could go either way, but Canuto is riding a big wave of momentum going into this so she may well be able to get the win.
Ryan Aitken vs Gabriel Almeida – 205lbs
Ryan Aitken has had a fantastic year so far and he’s won almost everything he’s entered, adding several major titles to his collection. We actually spoke to Aitken recently and he was very confident that he’s figured out how to win this match and made the necessary improvements to do so. Gabriel Almeida is no easy opponent though, he’s a veteran and has never shown an ounce of quit in any of his previous matches. Expect this to be one of the hardest-fought matches of the whole night and although Almeida definitely can win, Aitken is the slight favorite here.
Maggie Grindatti Lira vs Giovanna Carneiro – 155lbs
Maggie Grindatti Lira didn’t have a particularly long career before retiring last year but it seems like that retirement is going to be pretty short-lived. She’s has plenty of good performances competing as a black belt, but coming back after almost a whole year on the sidelines is always hard. Giovanna Carneiro is on the opposite end of her career, having only just been promoted to black belt a few months ago. She’s already had some impressive wins and will most likely get the win in this match, particularly if Grindatti Lira isn’t able to see her armbar set-ups coming.
Damien Anderson vs Sandrey Silva – 155lbs
Damien Anderson is focusing more on his impressive MMA career these days but he’s still an elite grappler and this is the ideal time for him to demonstrate that. Sandrey Silva might not be as well-known as Anderson or some of the other competitors on this card, but he’s put in some solid performances since being promoted to black belt a little over a year ago. Silva be a very game opponent but no gi is Anderson’s area of expertise, if he doesn’t get the chance to win with a submission then his wrestling should see him through to a decision win regarless.
Michael Pixley vs Luccas Lira – 210lbs
Michael Pixley had his breakout moment at ADCC 2024 earlier this year and although he’s lost his next high-profile matchup at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8, he’s still the same superb grappler he was back then. He has the wrestling to beat the vast majority of BJJ competitors on the feet and Luccas Lira is no exception there, but Lira is well-rounded enough to be a threat elsewhere. His leg attacks in particular might cause some problems for Pixley but both men are tough to submit, so this will probably go to a decision. If they stand enough for Pixley to score and frustrate Lira then he will win, but if Lira can drag Pixley into his guard or even put him on his back then he will win instead.
Shelby Murphey vs Lavinia Barbosa – 105lbs
Shelby Murphey has made the transition to the highest level of the sport brilliantly over the last 18 months and she’s been competing as often as she possibly can in order to achieve that. She already holds a win over Lavinia Barbosa too, although was in the gi earlier this year. Barbosa will no doubt be out for revenge and she definitely can win here, but the most likely outcome is that Murphey puts her under pressure right from the start. That should lead to a decision win for her, even if she can’t get the finish.
The full UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 event will be available to watch live on December 5th, 2024 on UFC Fight Pass.
