Elves Brener vs. Josiah Harrell
UFC Fight Night · September 26, 2026 · Meta Apex · Prelims 5:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Grappler vs. wrestler
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- No line posted yet
- The stakes
- Lightweight · Prelims
The read
This is a grappling-heavy style clash between two fighters trying to rebound.
Brener's submission craft is live in any scramble, but Harrell's wrestling background gives him a real chance to dictate where the fight happens.
A competitive fight that likely gets decided on the mat one way or the other.
The matchup
Both men are looking to snap recent setbacks — Brener off back-to-back losses, Harrell off a knockout loss in his UFC debut.
Brener's grappling pedigree and submission threat give him a path against a wrestler who has never had to defend takedowns against someone this skilled off his back, while Harrell's own wrestling base could neutralize that exact threat if he can control where the fight happens.
Tale of the tape
| 16-6 | Record | 11-1 |
| 28 | Age | 27 |
| 5'10" | Height | — |
| 72" | Reach | — |
| — | Stance | — |
| Brazil | Country | United States |
| — | Team | — |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Elves Brener 16-6
Elves Brener is a 28-year-old Brazilian lightweight from Maués, Amazonas, who parlayed a decorated regional jiu-jitsu background into a feared submission game. He debuted with a split-decision win over Zubaira Tukhugov before a third-round TKO of Guram Kutateladze, but comes in off back-to-back setbacks, most recently a decision loss to Esteban Ribovics in August 2025. He now faces surging UFC newcomer Josiah Harrell.
- LEsteban Ribovics · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night · August 2, 2025
Josiah Harrell 11-1
“The Muscle Hamster”
Josiah 'The Muscle Hamster' Harrell is a 27-year-old American welterweight-turned-lightweight out of Ohio, a wrestler since sixth grade and a jiu-jitsu brown belt who built an 11-1 record before dropping his UFC debut to Jacobe Smith by knockout in February 2026. He looks to get back on track against fellow finisher Elves Brener.
- LJacobe Smith · KO/TKOUFC Fight Night · February 21, 2026