Rocha stayed active off his back, while Tackett applied heavy top pressure. The champion then leaned back and looked to finish his man with an ankle lock late in the round, but Rocha defended well and dismissed the attempt with a wag of the finger.
The action clicked up a gear at the start of the second round as Tackett rolled his way up to position to attempt a heel hook that Rocha countered with an ankle lock of his own. The action continued, with Tackett pushing the pace, but Rocha went with him every step of the way as he defended smartly from any offense Tackett tried to mount. Then, in the final 60 seconds of the round, Rocha went in the attack as he ended up inside Tackett’s guard for the first time in the match. Despite achieving his best position of the match, there wasn’t enough time left on the clock to find a finish.
Rocha’s stubborn resistance and dangerous counters ensured the match went into the third and final round, and Tackett got to work quickly as he worked his way into position, then got to work in search of a rear-naked choke. Rocha defended well and, with the final minute counting down, he went for broke as he attempted to grab an ankle lock to claim a last-gasp victory. Tackett did enough to defend, however, as the match went all the way to the final horn.
When the judges’ scorecards were totaled, Tackett was declared the unanimous decision winner, but Rocha’s performance in defeat, after giving a champion 21 years his junior the toughest test of his UFC BJJ career, earned him the respect of everyone inside the Meta APEX.