Athletes
Clayton Carpenter | Rebound In Rio
After Suffering His First Pro Defeat Last Time Out, Clayton Carpenter Is Ready To Bounce Back On Enemy Territory As He Takes On Jafel Filho In Rio De Janeiro.
Clayton Carpenter is growing his experience with every fight, and after suffering the first defeat of his pro career last time out, he’s looking to bounce back with victory in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.
Carpenter went 6-1 as an amateur, turned pro in 2019 and raced to 5-0, including a hat-trick of wins under the LFA banner. That run earned him a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2022 where his unanimous decision victory over Edgar Chairez earned him a UFC contract.
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Carpenter’s first two appearances in the UFC were hugely impressive as he finished Juancamilo Ronderos and Lucas Rocha, both via rear-naked choke.
Those wins saw him fast-tracked into a bout with the highly-touted Russian contender Tagir Ulanbekov. The fight didn’t go Carpenter’s way as he lost a unanimous decision at UFC 311, but after battling with opposition that currently sits in the UFC’s flyweight rankings, he now knows what’s needed to make that progression towards the top tier of the division.
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"You know, every loss, there's something to be learned, and most wins, there's something to be learned, as well,” he said. “I was kind of salty about it, you know? But it's nothing but a learning experience.
“The way that I got back on track is just analyzing the fight and kind of analyzing it without any emotions. I think that was the best way to go about it, just get back in it.”
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That meant getting back in the gym and continuing to work on his game under the tutelage of head coach John Crouch at The MMA Lab. It’s the ideal home for Carpenter to sharpen his skills, as he explained.
“I feel really fortunate to be in a gym where I have a good amount of training partners close to my weight bracket,” he said. “And I just feel fortunate for both the amount of our training partners as well as the quality of training partners.”
Among that collective is a bona fide MMA legend. Benson Henderson, who captured the WEC and UFC lightweight titles in a stellar career, is a major part of the team at The MMA Lab.
“Benson's the man,” said Carpenter. “Even being out for as long as he has been – he picks up fights here and there, whether it's like jiu-jitsu matches or Karate Combat – he is still like the front runner. He's still in there sparring, he's still in there showing the example of what to be.”
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With his record now sitting at 8-1, and with the bitter taste of defeat still in his mouth after his decision loss to Ulanbekov, Carpenter is focused on bouncing back as he takes on Brazil’s Jafel Filho this weekend at UFC Rio.
As a fighter who has claimed half of his victories by submission, Carpenter is excited to pit his skills against a seasoned grappler like Filho, who has more submission victories on his resumé than Carpenter has pro fights.
“I have respect for his grappling,” he said. “He's a very traditional jiu-jitsu (practitioner) back at Nova Uniao, and I respect his jiu-jitsu. But I'm not afraid to go to the ground with anybody, so we'll see where it goes.”
And, while it’s important he gets back to winning ways, Carpenter said it’s important he does so in the right way, by being exciting to watch.
View Carpenter's Athlete Profile
“I don't really have that big of a fan base,” he said. “I feel like my fan base is a little bit small, but it's real. I feel like my fans really rock with me. And I think that any future fans would see that I'm out there to perform. I'm out there to make a good fight.
“I don't want it to be boring. I'm not trying to win on points. There's quite a lot of fighters out there that try to point-spar and win on points. I'm not in there to do that.”
It all means Carpenter heads into Saturday night in Rio armed with more experience, more knowledge, and more determination than ever to get his hand raised in exciting style.
And to do it in front of the raucous Brazilian fans, who will be chanting for his demise against a Brazilian opponent, would make victory in Rio all the sweeter for the 29-year-old.
“Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!” he smiled.
“I can't wait for them to chant for my death! I can’t wait!”
UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot took place live from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 11, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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