Cody Durden is stepping in on just six days’ notice to face Jafel Filho at UFC Vegas 116, with the flyweight bout set for the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on April 25.
Durden replaces Lucas Rocha on the card, which is headlined by Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal. The short-notice assignment comes at a challenging moment in Durden’s career, as he enters the fight on a four-fight losing streak and is 1-6 in his past seven UFC bouts, holding an overall UFC record of 6-8-1.
Durden owns UFC wins over Charles Johnson and Matt Schnell but has not secured a victory since 2024, dropping recent outings to Joshua Van, Jose Ochoa, Allan Nascimento and Nyamjargal Tumendemberel.
Filho brings contrasting momentum into UFC Vegas 116. He has won eight of his past ten fights since 2018, all by finish. His recent run includes a first-round submission of Clayton Carpenter in October following a decision loss to Allan Nascimento. In that ten-fight stretch, Filho’s only other defeat came in his UFC debut against Muhammad Mokaev, and he also holds a knockout win over Roybert Echeverria on Dana White’s Contender Series.
UFC Vegas 116 takes place April 25 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
