Jafel Filho is aiming to add another unique finish to his growing submission resume when he meets Cody Durden in a catchweight bout at UFC Vegas 116.
Filho steps into the April 25 Fight Night card at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas after an opponent change, with Durden replacing Lucas Rocha on six days’ notice. Filho enters the matchup with three UFC wins, each via a different submission: kimura, rear-naked choke, and arm-triangle choke, and owns 11 submission victories in 17 professional MMA wins.
“I tell myself I’m going to be one of the only UFC fighters to get submissions from every position in jiu-jitsu,” Filho said. “I’m not the kind of guy who only hunts the neck, or just the arm, or just the leg. I take whatever is there. If it’s there for me, I’m grabbing it.”
Filho, a Nova Uniao black belt, also teased a specialty setup he has developed off the kimura. “There’s a very interesting position I use that comes from the kimura,” he explained. “I take him down, take the back and lock a reverse triangle. I even named that position after myself. Who knows, maybe it happens now?”
Looking ahead to Durden, Filho believes another standout performance could push him toward the flyweight elite. “I believe that with a strong performance in this fight, which I’m sure I’ll give everything to deliver, I’ll break into the rankings. I believe this is the moment.”
