Brazil’s Jafel Filho will look to make a statement in front of his home crowd when he faces undefeated prospect Clayton Carpenter in a high-stakes flyweight showdown at UFC Rio on Saturday.
Filho (16-4) enters UFC Rio looking to rebound from a loss to Allan Nascimento in May. The 32-year-old Brazilian owns notable wins over Ode Osbourne and Daniel Barez.
Carpenter (8-1) opened his UFC run with two straight wins after earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series before suffering his first setback against Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC 311. The MMA Lab product will be competing outside the United States for the first time in his professional career.
Round 1 – Filho opened the fight with immediate pressure, while Carpenter responded with sharp jabs and calf kicks to keep him at bay. The Brazilian landed a heavy right hand that pushed Carpenter backward, but the American fired back with a flurry, driving Filho to the fence and into the clinch.
Filho executed a smooth inside trip to bring the fight to the mat, quickly taking Carpenter’s back. From there, he hunted for the rear-naked choke and chipped away with short punches to soften his opponent.
Carpenter managed to scramble and briefly take top position, but Filho transitioned seamlessly into a tight Kimura. Within moments the tap came sealing a first-round submission victory for Filho in front of an ecstatic home crowd in Brazil.
Official Result: Jafel Filho def. Clayton Carpenter via R1 SUB (Kimura), 4:42
