Vagner Rocha has just announced that he will be making his return to Jiu-Jitsu competition after suffering heart failure and he will be facing Kit Dale at Who’s Number One (WNO) 29 on July 25th, 2025. It’s an interesting stylistic matchup between two veteran grapplers and it’s being echoed elsewhere on the card too, as Vagner’s daughter Jasmine Rocha takes on another elite Australian in Adele Fornarino. It’s going to be a big moment for the Rocha family and not just because of Vagner’s comeback, but they’re also competing on one of the biggest professional shows in the sport in their home-state of Florida.
Fans will no doubt be surprised to see Rocha back in action so soon, as it was less than 6 months ago that he was hospitalised with heart failure. That devastating news sparked an outpouring of support from all corners of the BJJ community, and for many grapplers it would have sparked thoughts of retirement. Rocha even spoke publicly about his experience of suffering heart failure and being hospitalised, and it sounded like a genuinely life-changing experience. He is already in his 40s too and has had a lengthy professional MMA career alongside grappling, so he’s at a stage in his life when most fighters would retire regardless of any health issues.
Rocha is showing no signs of slowing down though and he’s not taking any easy matches either, as Dale has been on an amazing run since returning to competition himself. He took a much longer break and disappeared from the sport for several years, but he’s been resurgent in 2025. He had an excellent performance at the CJI 2 Australasian Trials that saw him earn 4 wins and 4 draws against the best competitors from that area of the world. Shortly after that, he shocked everyone by beating BJJ legend Xande Ribeiro fairly convincingly in his WNO debut. Now Rocha and Dale will be locking horns at WNO 29 and the winner will likely earn another big-name matchup before the end of the year.
The full Who’s Number One 29 event, including Vagner Rocha making his return against Kit Dale, is available to watch live on July 25th, 2025 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
