Ode Osbourne isn’t feeling burdened by expectations going into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 239 matchup with Jafel Filho, and he expects to shine under those conditions.
With two losses in his past three fights and betting underdog status, Osbourne (12-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) knows the optics around the flyweight bout vs. Filho (15-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+) aren’t in his favor. But in his mind, that will put his best foot forward.
“There is no pressure,” Osbourne told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose when you are the underdog. You just go in there and give it your all, because you’ve got nothing to lose.
“I’m going in there and I’m beating this guy. That’s what I’m going to do. And a lot of people are going to be surprised when I do beat Jafel Filho. But I’m not. I’m not going to be surprised. A lot of people will be.”
Filho enters UFC Fight Night 239 with a serious grappling threat. He’s finished 14 of his 15 career wins, with nine of those stoppages coming by way of submission. Osbourne knows analysts are going to look at his most recent fight – a second-round submission against Asu Almabayev in August – and see he was taken down twice before being tapped out, and think he’s vulnerable on the mat.
Osbourne, however, said he’s been working on both his offensive and defense grappling, and will not be easy to get to the mat.
“Wrestling is my bread and butter, but I never use it,” Osbourne said. “If you don’t use something, you lose it. And I’ve lost a lot of my wrestling. So I’ve had to go back into the trenches. That’s what I did. … I think the kryptonite for jiu-jitsu can be wrestling, if you know how to use it.”
Osbourne, 32, said he thinks the advantages are in his favor to pull off an upset this weekend. He’s 4-0 between his UFC and Dana White’s Contender Series career when fighting at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, where he resides, and doesn’t see that spotless record getting its first blemish.
“The worst thing about losing for me, is my last fight, the worst thing about losing is not being able to actually show my true colors in there,” Osbourne said. “I had such a terrible weight cut because I love it when I fight in Vegas. I’m undefeated. I fought probably four or five times at the Apex and I’ve never lost. Primarily because it’s so much easier to make weight for me here in Las Vegas. Everything is here for me.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.
Ode Osbourne enters UFC Fight Night 239 bout vs. Jafel Filho with ‘nothing to lose’ mentality
