Outside Source
Durden faced Jafel Filho on a week’s notice at UFC Fight Night 274 at the Apex in Las Vegas. Durden was a massive +350 underdog going into his clash against Filho. However, Durden earned a huge upset win via unanimous decision in a closely-contested bout.
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Durden says that while most fans counted him out, his wife believed in him. While Durden flew down from his training camp at American Top Team in Florida, his wife traveled from Atlanta to join him in Vegas. “Custom Made” says that his wife is an integral part of his team, ready to share the wins and losses with him.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in me, 8-to-1 underdog,” Durden said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “But the only person that mattered, believed in me, and that was me and my beautiful wife. She packed her stuff up, came from Atlanta, I came from Florida from training camp and we jumped in here and we got it done tonight… She’s a big part of the team. The main part of the team. There’s the fighter and then there’s people in the background that help you. And my wife helps me every step of the way. She believes in me and no matter what, if we fail we both fail, and when we win we both win. That’s how we roll.”
Confident in His Skills
While Filho was the better grappler on paper, Durden was able to hold his own on the ground against the Brazilian. Durden reveals that he was advised not to engage with Filho on the ground. However, Durden notes that he is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in his own right.
“Lot of people advised me not to go to the ground with him,” Durden said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “‘You’re cooked, Cody don’t go to the ground with him. He’s a way better grappler than you.’ That’s not what I just saw in that ring… I’m a BJJ black belt under Diego Douglas Lima in Jucao. I have a ground game as well.”
This was a much-needed win for Durden (18-10) that saw him rebound from a four-fight losing streak. Meanwhile, Filho (17-5) has now dropped two of his last three bouts.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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