Le Vern’s Kimura Made Her UFC BJJ’s First Women’s Champion
Aurelie Le Vern submitted Raquel Canuto with a kimura at 3:38 of round one on December 11, 2025. The UFC BJJ 4 women’s featherweight title match at UFC APEX in Las Vegas crowned the promotion’s first women’s champion.
The matchup and early action
The inaugural 145-pound championship formed part of a card featuring three title contests. Le Vern represented France against an experienced opponent in Canuto, with both pursuing a place in the organization’s developing history.
The opening exchanges were measured before Le Vern initiated a takedown. That attack created a scramble and moved the contest from hand-fighting into a much more dangerous grappling sequence.
The decisive developments
Le Vern established an inverted triangle that restricted Canuto’s movement. From that control, she isolated the left arm and converted the position into a kimura rather than abandoning it for a reset.
Canuto resisted the shoulder lock, but Le Vern continued adjusting the hold until the submission arrived. The first-round finish settled the championship without requiring the judges to compare completed rounds.
What the result meant
The result made Le Vern the inaugural women’s featherweight champion. Andrew Tackett also won a title match that night, retaining his welterweight belt, while Ronaldo Junior claimed the first middleweight championship.
Le Vern’s victory stood out for the progression from a cautious opening to a controlled submission chain. The takedown scramble created the initial restriction, and the isolated arm provided the final route to a historic championship finish in the UFC BJJ bowl.
