Rodolfo Vieira and Marcos Buchecha are representatives of Jiu-Jitsu in the UFC. Photo montage SUPER LUTAS
Nicholas Meregali is comfortable competing solely in grappling, but he doesn't hide his respect for jiu-jitsu athletes who have decided to transition to MMA. About to return to the mats after a 17-month injury layoff, the three-time world champion ruled out a possible foray into the octagon and analyzed the transition of names like Rodolfo Vieira and Marcus Buchecha to the UFC.
In an exclusive interview with SUPER LUTAS, Meregali stated that he follows MMA, but doesn't consider competing in the sport. According to him, he already feels comfortable at his current stage in his career and understands that a change would require a long adaptation process. Although he believes he could compete in grappling with any UFC fighter, he acknowledges that the inclusion of stand-up fighting completely changes the landscape.
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“I watch, but I don’t think about competing. Where I am, I’m already comfortable. A transition, I think I would only have a headache, it would take a long time to develop the skills, so I prefer to be where I am… One of the main reasons I haven’t made the transition is the fact that I don’t have experience in striking. I can exchange wrestling blows with any UFC fighter, but when there are knees, elbows, punches and kicks, then I don’t know if I could keep up with the guys. That may be the feeling that (those who migrated from jiu-jitsu to MMA) must have,” said Nicholas Meregali.
Commenting on the cases of Rodolfo Vieira and Marcus Buchecha , Meregali highlighted that both are extremely skilled in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, but noted that the exposure in striking transforms the dynamics of the fight. In the black belt's view, both Brazilians are building their careers in a positive way.
"They (Rudolph Vieira e Marcus Buchecha"They are very good at wrestling, very good at jiu-jitsu in general, but when you start showing their faces, everything changes. So it would only make sense if I had a 10-year background in striking. But they are doing well, they are building their own history," Meragali continued.
Nicholas Meregali criticizes the public's immediacy regarding Jiu-Jitsu stars.
The three-time champion also emphasized that adapting to MMA requires patience and time. According to Nicholas Meregali, a high-level athlete in another sport cannot expect to become a UFC champion in a short period of time. In the jiu-jitsu fighter's opinion, the public tends to be impatient, but consolidation in MMA is a maturation process that can take many years of activity.
“When a very successful athlete in a sport makes the transition to the UFC, it’s not possible to become a champion in two years. It takes 10 years. Jacaré took 10 years to be a top 3 UFC fighter. Charles do Bronx himself , nowadays. Khabib had to fight 25 times to become champion, it takes a long time. People are very impatient, they think everything is like TikTok, but these guys are maturing, they have another seven years of activity ahead of them,” concluded the three-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion.
Nicholas Meregali enters the action at UFC BJJ 5
MEREGALI MARKS HIS RETURN‼️
Nicholas Meregali makes his highly anticipated return against IBJJF No-Gi World Champion Nicholas Maglicic at #UFCBJJ5!
[ Live and FREE on YouTube | FEB 12 THU ] pic.twitter.com/xmlrqbSbgk
— UFC BJJ (@ufcbjj) February 2, 2026
Multiple champion Nicholas Meregali returns to the mats this Thursday (12), at UFC BJJ 5. The Brazilian faces Australian Nicholas Maglicic in one of the most anticipated duels of the night, which takes place at the UFC APEX, in Las Vegas, starting at 23 pm (Brasilia time). The main fight of the event will be the bantamweight title fight between Mikey Musumeci and Shay Montague, with exclusive broadcast on the Combate channel.
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