Vagner Rocha Returns to Grappling After Heart Failure
Former UFC fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor Vagner Rocha said in January 2025 that he had been hospitalized for five days and that doctors diagnosed him with heart failure. In a public statement, he said he was monitoring his heart and taking recovery one day at a time. These details reflect Rocha’s own account, reported by Jits Magazine and MMA Mania.
Rocha returned to grappling competition
Rocha had retired from professional MMA in 2017 and continued competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling. In July 2025, he returned to competition at Who’s Number One 29 and won a decision over Kit Dale. FloGrappling’s event report records the result. That later competition result does not provide additional medical details about his diagnosis or treatment.
The grappling background to his return
Rocha’s later career centered on no-gi competition, where athletes compete without the traditional jiu-jitsu uniform. Before the January announcement, he had reached the under-77-kilogram final at the 2024 ADCC World Championship and earned a silver medal. FloGrappling’s WNO 29 preview highlighted that achievement ahead of the Dale matchup.
The July 25, 2025 event took place in Miami and featured Rocha versus Dale as its main event. Their match went to a decision, giving Rocha a recorded competitive victory after the earlier interruption to his schedule. The result belongs to submission grappling, which has a different ruleset from the MMA bouts associated with his UFC career.
That sporting context explains the significance of the return without extending the medical account. The January statement described what Rocha chose to share about his hospitalization; the July event report documents a later appearance on the mat. Together, those dated records establish the sequence while keeping his public health statement and his competitive result distinct.
