Jai Herbert won his second straight fight Saturday night, taking a unanimous decision over Matheus Camilo in the lightweight co-main event of UFC Vegas 122. All three judges had it 29-28 for the Englishman, which is about as tight as a clean sweep of the scorecards gets.
“I had the will to break him,” Herbert said afterward, per the UFC News account on X. That line tracks with how the fight played out. Camilo had his moments, and plenty of them, but Herbert was the one walking forward when the last round got ugly.
How It Went
Cageside Press scored the opening round as a genuine toss-up. Herbert came out pressing behind his jab and snapped Camilo’s head back with a right straight. Camilo answered with an overhand right that caught the top of Herbert’s head, then got a takedown and had a strong final minute.
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Round 2 swung more than once. Camilo took over as the aggressor and landed a bodylock takedown midway through, then moved to Herbert’s back looking for a submission. Herbert scrambled free, reversed to the top and spent the rest of the frame dropping ground and pound from full guard. Between rounds, Camilo’s coach Erik Nicksick told him it was 1-1. Cageside called it an extremely hard fight to score through 10 minutes, and that’s fair.
The third is where Herbert closed the deal. Camilo landed a hard left hook early, but Herbert went to the body with a kick and started walking him down while the Brazilian looked to be slowing. Camilo dragged things into the clinch against the fence for a stretch. Once they broke apart with about a minute and a half left, Herbert stuffed a takedown, landed in full guard, postured up for some ground and pound and then let Camilo stand. Camilo shot again late and got nothing.
Context
Herbert, 38, came into this one off a win over Mandel Nallo in Canada. Camilo had won two in a row after dropping his UFC debut to Gabe Green, so the loss snaps that streak. Herbert said after the fight he wants to stay busy and would like to be back in early 2027.
Quick Take
A 38-year-old lightweight winning a coin-flip fight on the strength of his third round is the kind of result I like, because it tells you something real about his gas tank. Camilo’s corner had it even going into the last five minutes, which means the whole fight came down to who had more left. Camilo went 0-for-2 on late takedowns while Herbert stuffed one and ended up on top. That’s the difference, and it’s why I’d be in no hurry to write off “The Black Country Banger” on age alone. I would like to see the striking numbers before I get too excited, since Camilo was clearly landing too. If Herbert gets his early 2027 date against someone ranked, the question for me is whether that cardio holds up against an opponent who doesn’t fade.
