Preview: UFC Fight Night 239 Prelims

Flyweights

Jafel Filho (15-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Ode Osbourne (12-6, 4-4 UFC)

ODDS: Filho (-180), Osbourne (+150)

Osbourne has been slowly putting the pieces together, but his UFC career has often been a case of taking one step forward then one step back. “The Jamaican Sensation” came to the UFC as an intriguing bantamweight prospect, having put together a fun bag of tricks that could lead him to find a finish on either the feet or the mat. That quickly hit a wall, and Osbourne has done well to develop a more consistent approach that can actually win rounds. He can lean on a massive reach advantage now that he is down at flyweight and still has the grappling skills to be dangerous if opponents take him to the ground. While Osbourne is getting better from fight to fight, it has been hard for him to find some sustained success. His defense can be a bit lacking at times, and there are times when opponents can just explode and overwhelm him, whether it was in a knockout loss to Tyson Nam or a submission at the hands of Asu Almabayev, which have served as two of Osbourne’s last three results. He will look to rebound against Brazil’s Filho, who has looked solid in two UFC fights to date. A 2022 alum of Dana White’s Contender Series, Filho is the type of seasoned veteran that figures to chug along in the middle of the division for a few years. His game is well put together if unspectacular, as he uses power boxing to get to the wrestling and grappling areas where he is at his best. Filho got thrown into the deep end against uber-prospect Muhammad Mokaev for his UFC debut about a year ago, but he did manage to clamp on a kneebar that would have gotten most other opponents to tap. He found much more success in his sophomore effort, staging a comeback to score a submission of Daniel Barez in a quick sprint in July. Osbourne could just wind up keeping Filho’s rudimentary pressure at bay for three rounds, but the bet is that the Brazilian is persistent enough to get this to the mat, where he should prove to be the better grappler. The pick is Filho via second-round submission.

Jump To »
Moises vs. Ramirez
Davis vs. Levy
Nunes vs. Chandler
Filho vs. Osbourne
Culibao vs. Silva
McKenna vs. Amorim
Grigoriou vs. Anheliger