A move up to bantamweight saw Cody Durden looking to hold onto his job when he faced Jafel Filho at UFC Vegas 116 at the Meta Apex on Saturday.
Durden had lost four straight and six of his last seven, though that run did include a loss to current champ Joshua Van. Still, a pink slip loomed if the short-notice Durden couldn’t correct course, while Filho was coming off an October win against Clayton Carpenter.
Round one started with an aggressive Durden, charging at Filho to open up his strikes. The Brazilian was able to survive Durden’s first flurry, eventually bringing him to the ground, where the two got into some heavy grappling exchanges.
Neither man was able to truly separate himself in the first, though it appeared Jafel Filho was winning the majority of the ground game, likely edging him toward a 10-9 round.
Halfway through the second round, Durden was finally able to get Filho in a vulnerable position, though the Brazilian responded with an upkick that landed right on Durden’s eye. Shortly after, there was a stoppage when the grounded Filho was axe-kicked in the groin by Durden.
Once they returned to the feet, it was competitive as the two exchanged in the pocket, with Durden taking a slight advantage on the feet. It wasn’t long, however, before Filho enticed Durden back to the mat, threatening with a rear-naked choke as the round came to a close.
Round three was all Durden. With seemingly much more in the tank, Durden led the dance against Filho until the fight’s close. The Brazilian, typically used to a shorter fight, was out of gas, giving up dominant position to Durden in the final seconds of the last round.
It was a close fight, but a decisive one to the judges, as Cody Durden came away with the unanimous decision victory on less than a week’s notice. “Custom Made” finds himself back in the win column, while Jafel Filho loses a big one, dropping to 17-5.
Official Result: Cody Durden def. Jafel Filho by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
