The showdown between Felipe Pena and Nicholas Meregali headlines Spaten’s jiu-jitsu card on in Brazil, an event that also features Shogun and Glover Teixeira on the same night. Pena, the former ADCC absolute champion, and Meregali, a multiple-time IBJJF world champion who has also tested himself at ADCC in recent years, represent two of the sport’s biggest names sharing a mat.
Meregali nearly wasn’t there to answer the bell. Roughly ten days before the match, he posted a video from inside his car, telling followers he wasn’t feeling well, happy or content, and that he needed to step away from the bout. He apologized to Pena and to the event’s organizers, offered to help find a replacement, and wished the card success despite his absence. It read like a clean, final goodbye to the matchup fans had been anticipating.
Less than 48 hours later, the tone flipped entirely. Meregali returned to social media to reveal the withdrawal had been staged, a swerve rather than a real farewell. He confirmed he would still step on the mat with Pena and made clear his intentions were not to simply show up, he plans to beat him.
There’s an odd wrinkle to how little attention the showdown has drawn given the names involved. Meregali holds an exclusive agreement with UFC BJJ, and had this event lived under a different banner, that deal likely would have kept him off the card entirely.
The buildup has also reignited a familiar question for Meregali: whether a résumé like his eventually pulls a grappler toward stepping into an MMA cage. Asked whether a big win might set up a matchup against someone from the UFC or another MMA promotion, and whether such organizations pressure him to make that jump, Meregali didn’t hesitate.
“No, not really,” he said during the conversation. “So I think MMA stars have such a different legacy. They are champions in their fields. I don’t think it’s very fair with a grappling match.”
He continued, “I was talking with Glover about it. So I shouldn’t be doing grappling match against a grappling figh ter. Doesn’t make any sense. It’s the same as if I decide figh ting Glover in MMA match. He’s going to k*ll me, you know? I need to be respectful.”
“So if they want to do that for fun, I can do it, but I also know that I should be respecting them from what they do,” he noted. “Instead of telling them that they should be into my field and kind of, you know, take the challenge. It’s not fair.”
He framed the boundary as a matter of respect rather than reluctance. For Meregali, crossing that line in either direction would undercut the legitimacy of what each sport represents.
He was just as direct about where his own future lies. When asked if he would compete in MMA, Meregali declined.
“I’m fine on grappling,” he said. “I’m fine on grappling. I don’t want to be involved.”
