Why Jafel Filho's takedown defence is the key variable against Bruno Silva

The setup

On Saturday, December 5, 2026, UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Magomedov brings Bruno Silva (15-9-2 (1 NC)) and Jafel Filho (17-5-0) together at flyweight on the prelims at ANB Arena in Riyadh, scheduled for three rounds.

Our schedule tables list 12 bouts on the card; this one is filed under the prelims. The bout is listed as announced in the PropBetEdge schedule.

The question this preview works through is whether Jafel Filho can keep the fight where 50% takedown defence says it will struggle to stay, against a 1.94-takedowns-per-15 opponent. Career-to-date round statistics are on file for both fighters, so that comparison is two-sided.

Tale of the tape

• Record: Bruno Silva 15-9-2 (1 NC) · Jafel Filho 17-5-0
• Age: Bruno Silva 36 · Jafel Filho 33
• Height: Bruno Silva 5'4" · Jafel Filho 5'7"
• Reach: Bruno Silva 65" · Jafel Filho 68.5"
• Stance: Bruno Silva Orthodox · Jafel Filho Orthodox
• Listed weight: Bruno Silva 126 lbs · Jafel Filho 135 lbs

Range is the first thing the tape flags: Jafel Filho holds 3.5 inches of reach (68.5" to 65"), which sets the distance Bruno Silva has to cross to land. A reach edge matters most when the longer fighter also sets the pace, and here the numbers cut the other way: Bruno Silva out-lands Filho 3.95 to 1.78 per minute, so the shorter fighter is the busier one and has to cross the gap to do it. That is a different fight from a long fighter picking apart a passive one. Both fight orthodox, so lead hands mirror and the rear-hand exchanges are conventional. Listed weights differ: Jafel Filho at 135 lbs to 126 for Bruno Silva. Listed weight is a roster figure, not a weigh-in, so it is a note rather than an edge.

Recent form

Bruno Silva has 12 completed UFC bouts in the PropBetEdge archive: 5 wins, 6 losses and 1 no contest. Every one of them came inside the distance (3 by KO/TKO and 2 by submission). He has been finished 3 times in the archive. He last fought on Jun 6, 2026 and lost to Édgar Cháirez by submission in round 1. That puts him 182 days out by fight night.

• L vs Édgar Cháirez — submission, R1 (Jun 6, 2026, UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim)
• L vs Charles Johnson — split decision, R3 (Mar 14, 2026, UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Vallejos)
• W vs HyunSung Park — submission, R3 (Oct 18, 2025, UFC Fight Night: De Ridder vs. Allen)
• L vs Joshua Van — KO/TKO, R3 (Jun 7, 2025, UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2)
• L vs Manel Kape — KO/TKO, R3 (Dec 14, 2024, UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Buckley)