For Mason Fowler, a career as one of the top jiu-jitsu competitors in the world was never really the plan.
In fact, the reigning UFC BJJ light heavyweight champion originally wanted to fight in the UFC. Now, years after concussion issues pushed him away from MMA and toward full-time grappling, Fowler will enter the bowl at UFC BJJ 11 with UFC gold around his waist and a chance to avenge one of the few losses of his career.
On Thursday, Sep. 24, Fowler will defend his UFC BJJ light heavyweight championship against Nick “Nicky Rod” Rodriguez in the co-main event of UFC BJJ 11 at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by UFC BJJ bantamweight champion Mikey Musumeci taking on UFC veteran Bryce Mitchell in a featherweight show match.
For Fowler, the showdown with Rodriguez represents another chapter in a career that took an unexpected path.
“I’ve been a huge fan of the UFC since I was, like, 15 or 16,” Fowler told Combat Press. “Big fan of Anderson Silva. I used to watch all the fights. Every fight that was on, I would watch WEC, I would watch Strikeforce. I was a big, die-hard fan.”
Fowler initially saw MMA as his future. He played rugby in high school to get into shape before eventually finding his way into an MMA gym. Once there, he dove into everything at once — boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and jiu-jitsu.
The goal was straightforward: become a fighter.
Jiu-jitsu gradually changed those plans.
Fowler occasionally entered grappling tournaments while training for MMA, and, even as a purple belt, he realized he could hang with athletes who trained exclusively in jiu-jitsu. However, it wasn’t success on the mats that ultimately ended his MMA aspirations.
“I just started dealing with some problems with concussions and pretty much made that decision to stop doing MMA because of that,” Fowler said.
At approximately 23 years old, Fowler stopped sparring and shifted his attention entirely to jiu-jitsu. Even then, he wasn’t envisioning world championships or a career as a professional grappler.
“I was really just thinking about training jiu-jitsu long enough to get my black belt so that I could kind of turn it into a career, as far as opening a school and teaching and stuff like that,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking about being a world champion or anything of that nature.”
Then Fowler started winning.
He entered tournaments such as the Pan Championships and No-Gi World Championships, eventually winning the ADCC Trials and establishing himself among the sport’s elite.
“It just kind of happened by accident,” Fowler said. “It wasn’t really my goal to be a professional jiu-jitsu athlete. I just kind of fell into it.”
From MMA hopeful to jiu-jitsu champion
Fowler’s MMA roots never completely disappeared.
Those years of training could actually make him particularly suited to the relatively new UFC BJJ format.
UFC BJJ matches are divided into three five-minute rounds, something Fowler spent years doing while preparing for MMA. The promotion’s signature bowl also addresses one of his longtime frustrations with traditional grappling competition.
“One problem that I’ve always had is guys playing the edges of the mats,” Fowler said. “That’s something that’s always annoyed me when you’re constantly pushing forward and taking the guy’s space, and he’s just constantly backing up. It just creates a lot of resets, so I do like the idea of the bowl.”
The round structure feels even more familiar.
“My whole first five or six years of training, we were always doing three five-minute rounds for MMA,” he said. “I like the rule set. For me, it’s one of my favorite rule sets. I like the IBJJF rule set, too. I like the ADCC rule set, but, if I had to choose, I definitely would choose the UFC BJJ rules, for sure.”
Fowler has made the most of them.
He captured the UFC BJJ light heavyweight championship in July 2025 and has since successfully defended the belt twice. Rodriguez, meanwhile, earned his title opportunity after submitting João Nicolite in his UFC BJJ light heavyweight debut.
Now comes the rematch.
Fowler gets another shot at Nicky Rod
Fowler and Rodriguez have history.
The pair previously met at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 7 in 2024, where Rodriguez earned the victory. The first encounter was an open-weight match, while their UFC BJJ 11 rematch will be contested for Fowler’s light heavyweight championship.
For Fowler, the biggest lesson from that first meeting is just how quickly a match between elite grapplers can change.
“It was a very close match,” Fowler said. “I think, if you rewatch the match, I was definitely controlling the match for the first 13 minutes, and somewhere around the two-minute mark, he was able to score on me. From there, I wasn’t able to score and get back in the match.”
The UFC BJJ format changes the equation.
Instead of one continuous scoring period, Fowler and Rodriguez will have three separately judged five-minute rounds. Fowler believes that distinction could prove significant in the rematch.
“If you go back and you judge the last match in this rule set, I would have won, because this rule set is split into three five-minute rounds, and each one is judged separately,” Fowler said. “My goal, obviously, is to win two out of the three rounds, right?
“Which I know I can do, because I did that in the last match.”
Fowler also understands there is little room for error against someone of Rodriguez’s caliber.
“When you’re going against these guys, the best guys in the world, one little mistake and you can lose the match,” he said. “All you can do is learn from it and make the adjustments and hopefully prevent that from happening again.”
This time, Fowler is the champion.
And he isn’t particularly concerned with how he keeps the belt.
“Obviously, the goal is to win,” Fowler said. “If I win by submission or I win by decision, winning is winning. My goal is to win. Obviously, I’m going to try to find a submission anywhere that I can.
“There are a few different routes for me to get there. Obviously, we have our tactics and we have a game plan. Hopefully, we finish the match by submission, for sure, but I’ll definitely take a decision if it comes down to that.”
Enjoying life at the top
At 33 years old, Fowler approaches competition differently than he did earlier in his career.
He remains based at Caio Terra Academy in San Jose, Calif., where he initially began training because his former coach encouraged him to find higher-level training partners. Fowler started by driving back and forth before ultimately making the move.
When he isn’t preparing for competition, his schedule is relatively simple. He travels to teach seminars and camps and, when he is home, spends much of his downtime gaming.
“I’m a big gamer, so I just stay at home, stay on the game,” Fowler said. “It keeps me out of trouble.”
Fowler eventually wants to return to his hometown of Fresno, Calif., where he hopes to buy a house, open a jiu-jitsu academy and start a family.
For now, however, the focus remains on competition.
Fowler said one of the biggest changes as he has gotten older is his ability to appreciate the opportunity rather than allowing the pressure surrounding major matches to consume him.
“When I was younger, I would put a lot more pressure on myself, and I would let the nerves get to me a lot more,” he said. “I think now, if you put things into perspective, anyone that’s there competing, we should be happy that we’re able to do this as our career.
“I’m just very grateful that this is what I get to do with my time. This is how I get to spend my time. This is how I get to make my money, by doing something that’s pretty cool.”
On Sept. 24, that career brings Fowler back across from one of the most dangerous grapplers in the sport.
This time, the UFC BJJ light heavyweight championship is on the line.
Fowler doesn’t need to manufacture any additional hype.
“I think people should tune in and watch the match because it’s the best against the best,” Fowler said. “You got, I think, definitely the best 205ers on the planet, if not two of the best guys pound-for-pound.
“You guys are going to see the highest level of jiu-jitsu, and I know both of us do not want to lose. So, I think you guys are going to see a great match.”
UFC BJJ 11 takes place Thursday, Sep. 24, at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams live on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8 p.m. ET.