Weightclass: Bantamweight
Record: 7-0
Age: 29
Height: 5’8”
Born in: US
Training out of: Sérgio Penha Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Combined opponents’ record (at the time they fought): 27-13
Key wins: Joshua Weems
The son of legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Sergio Penha, Eduardo Penha has extended his undefeated record to 7-0 this year by submitting all three of his opponents in the first round.
Penha had a brief two-fight amateur career that also saw him stop both of his opponents in the opening frame. He made his pro debut in 2022 at Tuff-N-Uff 129, where he showed off his grappling skills with a first-round kimura against Teague Vigil.
The 29-year-old made the move to LFA for his second pro outing and went the distance with Joseph Dorado before scoring another pair of wins via submission. Following a layoff of more than a year, Penha returned to Tuff-N-Uff in February and has gone 3-0 with three first-round submissions, including another nasty leg kimura in his most recent bout against Dusty Shaffer last weekend.
Striking certainly isn’t Penha’s preferred way to engage with opponents, but he’s shown some increased confidence on the feet over his last few bouts. His front kick to the body has been a staple from his early fights, and more recently, he’s also started to utilize high kicks and, understandably, has little fear of an opponent trying to take him down off those attacks
“Duda” is quick to clinch up when an opponent closes the distance and has a variety of ways to get things to the ground from this position. Penha also has good timing on his double and single leg takedowns when an opponent gets careless while coming forward, and if he doesn’t find success on his initial attempt, he’ll either remain on their legs along the cage or switch to a body lock if his opponent turns away.
He’s more than willing to try and jump on an opponent’s back when he has them on their knees against the fence, but it’s when Penha can drag his opponent all the way down to the mat where his grappling skills are on full display. The 29-year-old likes to move quickly into side control in order to set up a crucifix position, and as shown in his last outing against Shaffer, he’s more than capable of setting that crucifix up from other positions as well.
Penha will tee off with some heavy ground and pound if he does end up in mount, but the moment an opponent turns their back, he’ll either slap on a body triangle or get his hooks in to start hunting for a rear naked choke.
While his striking is very much a work in progress and he can definitely get caught while trying to close the distance, Penha’s takedown game and his dominance on the ground make him a serious problem for any opponent that ends up on the canvas. “Duda” really turned some heads with his latest win at Tuff-N-Uff 147, and at 29 years old, it will be interesting to see how much more time he needs to spend on the regional scene before a larger promotion comes calling.