Mikey Musumeci defeated Bryce Mitchell by three-round decision in the UFC BJJ 11 main event on Thursday night in Las Vegas.
The crossover grappling match took place inside the Meta Apex under a modified rule set.
Both competitors agreed to eliminate leg locks and intentional guard pulls.
Musumeci, a jiu-jitsu champion preparing for a full-time transition to mixed martial arts, controlled the action across 15 minutes.
He initiated early by pulling guard and briefly locking onto a leg before releasing the hold to respect the special rules.
He then shifted to an anaconda choke and a power guillotine, but Mitchell successfully defended both submission attempts.
"It was fun," Musumeci said after the match.
"I like that. I'm training MMA now so I like that.
I want more MMA grappling opponents. I would prefer to do this style of grappling.
It was way more fun for me."
The agreement originated after Mitchell publicly criticized specific grappling tactics, prompting Musumeci to adjust his usual preparation and tournament strategy.
"Leg locks are gay — guard pulls; if you’re butt-scooting, that’s gay," Musumeci said during UFC BJJ 11 media day.
"But if you end up on the bottom by chance, you have to go there. You just have to, unfortunately."
To adapt to the unique constraints, Musumeci revealed that his training staff at Syndicate MMA used unconventional motivational methods during his camp.
"I had a good camp for this," Musumeci said.
"I was getting zapped with a dog collar every day from the Tackett brothers if I ended up on bottom.
They put a dog collar on me, and whenever I fell, they would press the button.
So, whenever I see the floor, I see myself getting zapped, and psychologically, that does something to your brain."
Musumeci added that his coaches incorporated other unique routines whenever he landed in a bottom position on the mat.
"The dog collar was part of my camp, as was throwing holy water on me whenever I ended up on bottom to get the devil out of me," Musumeci said.
"So, we did some interesting methods this camp, and we’ve come to a great place. I feel really prepared from a spiritual and psychological standpoint."
In the second and third rounds, Mitchell applied top pressure, at one point executing a high slam that drew a warning from referee Vitor Ribeiro.
Musumeci responded with a takedown and a back-take attempt, but Mitchell remained composed to neutralize the danger before the final bell.
UFC BJJ 11 Match Results
Mason Fowler vs. Nick Rodriguez ended in a split draw after three rounds.
Jay Rodriguez defeated Kevin Behring via inverted D'Arce choke in Round 2.
Pedro Machado defeated Lucas Norat by unanimous decision.
Jordan Holy defeated Ryan Elgarico by unanimous decision.
Mason Stritzel defeated Sebastian Zazueta via inside heel hook in Round 2.
Daniel Deeder defeated Kolby Gonzalez via kimura in Round 3.
The victory keeps Musumeci undefeated inside the UFC BJJ organization as he continues his preparation for an official mixed martial arts debut.
