Erick Silva
Erick Silva
Born (1984-06-21) June 21, 1984 (age 39)
Vila Velha, Espirito Santo, Brazil
Other namesA Fierce Tiger
ResidenceVila Velha, Espirito Santo, Brazil
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
DivisionWelterweight
Middleweight
Reach74 in (188 cm)[1]
TeamX-Gym (2005–2016)[2]
Kings MMA (2016)
Tiger's Den MMA (2016–2018)
Team Nogueira (2018–present)[2]
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3]
Black belt in Judo[3]
Years active2005–2019
Mixed martial arts record
Total32
Wins20
By knockout4
By submission13
By decision3
Losses11
By knockout4
By decision6
By disqualification1
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Erick Silva (born June 21, 1984) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional from 2005 till 2019, he competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, and Jungle Fight, where he was the inaugural Welterweight Champion. He is also former UFC Bantamweight fighter Gabriel Silva's big brother.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

Background and early career

Silva comes from Vila Velha, Brazil and was an X-Gym training partner for the likes of Anderson Silva, Rafael Feijao and Jacare Souza.[5]

Jungle Fight Championship

Silva joined Jungle Fight, appearing at Jungle Fight 9 against Carlos Eduardo dos Santos. In the third and final round, Silva defeated dos Santos via rear naked choke.[6]

At Jungle Fight 11, he defeated Igor Fernandes via unanimous decision.[7] Silva followed that up with two further victories in the promotion.

Silva then competed in a unique fight of his career, at Jungle Fight 17, which was held outdoors. On the day of the event, the weather was clear throughout, until less than an hour before the start, when rain began to fall and never stopped.[8] The event, which went down as one of the wettest in MMA history[8] was not a successful one for Silva who hit his downed opponent with a knee, resulting in a no contest verdict.[8]

Silva won his next fight, at Jungle Fight 21, via TKO (knee and punches) in the second round.[9]

Silva then entered into the tournament for the inaugural Jungle Fight Welterweight Championship at Jungle Fight 23. Silva defeated both opponents on the same night to win the tournament.[5] His opening round matchup was against Gil de Freitas. The opening round saw Silva utilize his striking game to take the first round, though de Freitas came back strongly in the second round with his take downs and effective ground game. In the final round, Silva caught de Freitas with a roundhouse kick to the liver, dropping him. After Silva used ground-and-pound to set up a guillotine choke, de Freitas was forced to tap out.[5]

Silva progressed to the tournament final, where he faced the Mexican, Francisco Ayon. Ayon had just come off a split decision victory in the semi-final and he wasn't able to mount any offense against Silva, who took him down. After hitting him with several punches, Silva locked in an arm triangle choke to force the tap out with just 67 seconds on the clock.[5] Silva therefore became the inaugural Jungle Fight Welterweight champion.[5]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Silva signed with the UFC in early 2011. He was expected to make his debut against Mike Swick at UFC 134. However, on August 4, 2011, it was announced that Swick had to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury and was replaced by Luis Ramos. Silva won quickly via first round TKO due to punches.[10]

Silva was expected to face promotional newcomer Siyar Bahadurzada on January 14, 2012, at UFC 142.[11] However, Bahadurzada was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Carlo Prater.[12] After missing a looping right hook in the opening seconds of the fight, Silva quickly followed with a left knee to the body which effectively knocked Prater down. Prater caught Silva's knee and held on to his leg as Silva began attacking with hammer fists and punches to the head. During the attack, the referee, Mario Yamasaki, repeatedly warned Silva not to hit the back of the head. When Prater appeared to go unconscious and could no longer intelligently defend himself, Yamasaki stepped in and stopped the fight. Although Silva appeared victorious, Yamasaki disqualified Silva for strikes to the back of the head. The disqualification was later upheld by the UFC.[13]

Silva then faced Charlie Brenneman on June 8, 2012, at UFC on FX 3.[14] Silva won the fight with a rear-naked choke late in the first round.

Silva faced Jon Fitch on October 13, 2012, at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After three rounds, Silva lost the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 29–28). The performance earned both participants Fight of the Night honors.

Silva was expected to face Jay Hieron on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156.[15] However, Silva pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Tyron Woodley.[16]

Silva was expected to face John Hathaway on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10.[17] However, Hathaway was pulled from the bout in late April and replaced by Jason High, who was already scheduled on the card against Ildemar Alcantara.[18] Silva won the fight via triangle armbar submission. The finished earned him his second Submission of the Night bonus.

Silva faced Dong Hyun Kim on October 9, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 29.[19] Kim defeated Silva via second round KO.

Silva was expected to face returning veteran Nate Loughran on February 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 36.[20] However, Loughran was forced out of the bout with an injury.[21] Silva instead faced promotional newcomer Takenori Sato.[22] He won the fight via TKO early in the first round. The win also earned him one of the first UFC Performance of the Night bonus awards.[23]

Silva faced Matt Brown in the main event at UFC Fight Night 40.[24] He lost the fight via TKO due to punches in the third round. Despite the loss, Silva was given a Fight of the Night bonus award for his performance.[25]

Silva faced Mike Rhodes on December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 58.[26] He won the fight by technical submission in the first round. The win also earned Silva his second Performance of the Night bonus award.[27]

Silva was expected to face Ben Saunders on March 21, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 62.[28] However, on March 6, Saunders was forced from the fight citing an injury and was replaced by Josh Koscheck.[29] Silva won the fight by submission in the first round.[30]

Silva was expected to face Rick Story on June 27, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 70.[31] However, Silva was removed from the card on June 19, after visa issues restricted his entry to the United States. In turn, Story was removed from the card as well.[32] The bout with Story was rescheduled and was expected to take place on August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74.[33] Subsequently, Story pulled out of the bout on August 11 citing injury and was replaced by Neil Magny.[34] Silva lost the fight via split decision.[35]

On March 5, 2016, Silva faced Nordine Taleb at UFC 196 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.[36] He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.[37] During the opening round, Silva extended his fist to Taleb to touch gloves in a sign of sportsmanship, but immediately landed a right hook as Taleb attempted to reciprocate it and respond to Silva's gesture. Taleb called the move dirty in a post-fight interview and stated he knew Silva was a "dirty" fighter. He received heavy criticism from fans and media and later apologized on his Twitter account, releasing a statement and admitting it was "unethical".[38][39]

After the loss, Silva decided to establish his own fight team, Tiger's Den MMA, to be closer to his son, Kalleu. He brought in Andre Benkei to be his head coach. Silva was briefly scheduled to face Brandon Thatch on September 24, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 95.[40] However, Thatch pulled out of the fight with an undisclosed injury and was subsequently replaced by Luan Chagas.[41] He won the back and forth fight via submission in the third round. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors.[42][43]

Silva faced Yancy Medeiros on June 3, 2017, at UFC 212.[44] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[45]

Silva faced Jordan Mein on December 16, 2017, at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos.[46] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[47] The fight with Mein was the last of his contract with UFC.[48]

Legacy Fighting Alliance

Following his departure from the UFC, Silva signed with Legacy Fighting Alliance and debuted in the main event at LFA 45 against Nick Barnes on July 20, 2018.[49] He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Bellator MMA

On September 6, 2018, it was announced that Silva had signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA. Silva was expected to make his promotional debut against Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 207, but was forced to pull out due to an injury on October 1, 2018.[50][51][52]

Silva made his promotional debut against Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 216 on February 16, 2019.[53] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Silva faced Paul Daley at Bellator 223 on June 22, 2019.[54] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[55]

Silva announced his retirement from MMA in 2022 after revealing that he had suffered a heart attack due to complications from Covid-19.[56]

Personal life

Erick and his wife Isabela have two sons.[57]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
32 matches 20 wins 11 losses
By knockout 4 4
By submission 13 0
By decision 3 6
By disqualification 0 1
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 20–11 (1) Paul Daley Decision (unanimous) Bellator 223 June 22, 2019 3 5:00 London, England
Loss 20–10 (1) Yaroslav Amosov Decision (unanimous) Bellator 216 February 16, 2019 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 20–9 (1) Nick Barnes Submission (armbar) LFA 45 July 20, 2018 1 4:43 Cabazon, California, United States
Loss 19–9 (1) Jordan Mein Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos December 16, 2017 3 5:00 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Loss 19–8 (1) Yancy Medeiros TKO (punches) UFC 212 June 3, 2017 2 2:01 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 19–7 (1) Luan Chagas Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Länsberg September 24, 2016 3 3:57 Brasília, Brazil Fight of the Night.
Loss 18–7 (1) Nordine Taleb KO (punch) UFC 196 March 5, 2016 2 1:34 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 18–6 (1) Neil Magny Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira August 23, 2015 3 5:00 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Win 18–5 (1) Josh Koscheck Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare March 21, 2015 1 4:21 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 17–5 (1) Mike Rhodes Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway December 20, 2014 1 1:15 Barueri, Brazil Performance of the Night.
Loss 16–5 (1) Matt Brown TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva May 10, 2014 3 2:11 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 16–4 (1) Takenori Sato KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi February 15, 2014 1 0:52 Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil Performance of the Night.
Loss 15–4 (1) Dong Hyun Kim KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields October 9, 2013 2 3:01 Barueri, Brazil
Win 15–3 (1) Jason High Submission (reverse triangle armbar) UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum June 8, 2013 1 1:11 Fortaleza, Brazil Submission of the Night.
Loss 14–3 (1) Jon Fitch Decision (unanimous) UFC 153 October 13, 2012 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Fight of the Night.
Win 14–2 (1) Charlie Brenneman Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall June 8, 2012 1 4:33 Sunrise, Florida, United States Submission of the Night.
Loss 13–2 (1) Carlo Prater DQ (punches to back of head) UFC 142 January 14, 2012 1 0:29 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 13–1 (1) Luis Ramos TKO (punches) UFC 134 August 27, 2011 1 0:40 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 12–1 (1) Francisco Ayon Submission (arm-triangle choke) Jungle Fight 23 October 30, 2010 1 1:07 Belém, Brazil Won the inaugural Jungle Fight Welterweight Championship.
Win 11–1 (1) Gil de Freitas Submission (guillotine choke) Jungle Fight 23 October 30, 2010 3 0:57 Belém, Brazil Jungle Fight Welterweight Championship Tournament Semifinal.
Win 10–1 (1) Jose de Ribamar TKO (knee and punches) Jungle Fight 21 July 31, 2010 2 3:39 Natal, Brazil
NC 9–1 (1) Henrique Oliveira NC (illegal knee) Jungle Fight 17: Vila Velha February 27, 2010 2 3:57 Vila Velha, Brazil Welterweight debut.
Win 9–1 Jorge Luis Bezerra Decision (unanimous) Jungle Fight 15 September 19, 2009 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 8–1 Carlos Villamor Submission (kneebar) Jungle Fight 14: Ceará May 9, 2009 2 3:38 Fortaleza, Brazil
Win 7–1 Igor Fernandes Decision (unanimous) Jungle Fight 11 September 13, 2008 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 6–1 Carlos Eduardo Santos Submission (rear-naked choke) Jungle Fight 9: Warriors May 31, 2008 3 N/A Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 5–1 Fabio Issa Decision (unanimous) Open Fight August 4, 2007 N/A N/A Brazil
Loss 4–1 Mario Neto Decision (unanimous) Superfight Vitoria December 10, 2006 3 5:00 Brazil
Win 4–0 Leandro Zumbi Submission (arm-triangle choke) MMA: Kombat Espirito Santo November 25, 2006 1 3:05 Vila Velha, Brazil
Win 3–0 Henrique Lango Submission (rear-naked choke) Guarafight 3 August 12, 2006 1 N/A Guarapari, Brazil
Win 2–0 Julian Soares KO (punch) Guarafight 2 January 7, 2006 1 2:30 Guarapari, Brazil
Win 1–0 Fabiano Mastodonte Submission (rear-naked choke) Guarafight 1 June 4, 2005 1 2:02 Guarapari, Brazil

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Machida vs. Dollaway". UFC.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Guilherme Cruz (July 26, 2018). "Erick Silva aims to 'restart my career in a smart way' after post-UFC win". mmafighting.com.
  3. ^ a b "Erick Silva - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  4. ^ Guilherme Cruz (July 20, 2019). "UFC on ESPN 4 is Gabriel Silva's turn to shine after brother's UFC career". mmafighting.com.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Hot prospect Erick Silva wins Jungle Fight title in Belem". sherdog.com. October 31, 2010.
  6. ^ "Jungle Fight 9 - Warriors". sherdog.com. May 31, 2008.
  7. ^ "Jungle Fight 11 Pictures: Erick Silva vs. Igor Santos". sherdog.com. September 18, 2008.
  8. ^ a b c "Rain falls on Jungle Fight 17; Mondragon loses". sherdog.com. February 28, 2010.
  9. ^ "Pictures: Jungle Fight 21: Erick Silva vs. Jose Gomes de Ribamar". sherdog.com. August 11, 2010.
  10. ^ "Luis Ramos replaces Mike Swick, fights Erick Silva at UFC Rio". tatame.com. August 5, 2011. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  11. ^ "Siyar Bahadurzada: I'm facing Erick Silva at UFC 142 in Brazil". mmajunkie.com. November 14, 2011.
  12. ^ "WEC vet Carlo Prater meets Erick Silva as injury replacement at UFC 142". mmajunkie.com. December 16, 2011. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  13. ^ "UFC makes ruling on Erick Silva's UFC 142 disqualification: The loss stands". mmajunkie.com. January 19, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22.
  14. ^ "American Silva next faced Charile Brenneman". sport.tv.globo.com. 2012-03-30.
  15. ^ "Jay Hieron vs. Erick Silva added to February's UFC 156 event". MMAjunkie.com. November 21, 2012. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013.
  16. ^ "Tyron Woodley replaces injured Erick Silva, faces Jay Hieron at UFC 156". MMAjunkie.com. January 2, 2013.
  17. ^ Mookie Alexander (March 7, 2013). "Erick Silva fights John Hathaway at TUF Brazil 2 Finale on June 8th". bloodyelbow.com.
  18. ^ Staff (2013-04-25). "Jason High replaces John Hathaway, meets Erick Silva at UFC on FUEL TV 10". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  19. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2013-08-07). "Erick Silva will fight Dong Hyun Kim at UFC Fight Night 29". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  20. ^ Ivan Raupp (2013-12-10). "Erick Silva enfrenta Nate Loughran no UFC de Jaraguá do Sul em fevereiro (Brazilian Portuguese)". sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
  21. ^ John Morgan (2014-01-04). "Nate Loughran out at UFC Fight Night 36, promotion seeks new opponent for Erick Silva". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
  22. ^ Ivan Raupp (2013-12-11). "Campeão do Pancrase é contratado pelo UFC e estreia contra Erick Silva (Brazilian Portuguese)". sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
  23. ^ Staff (2014-02-16). "UFC Fight Night 36 bonuses: Silva, Oliveira earn first 'performance' bonuses". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  24. ^ Staff (2014-03-03). "Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva headlines UFC Fight Night 40 in Cincinnati". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
  25. ^ Staff (2014-05-11). "UFC Fight Night 40 bonuses: Matt Brown scoops up $100K". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
  26. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2014-10-21). "Erick Silva returns at UFC Fight Night 58 against Mike Rhodes". mmafighting.com.
  27. ^ Staff (December 21, 2014). "UFC Fight Night 58 bonuses: Machida, Barao, Silva, Miranda win $50,000". mmajunkie.com.
  28. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2015-01-22). "Ben Saunders vs. Erick Silva added to UFC Fight Night 62 in Rio de Janeiro". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  29. ^ MMA Crazy Staff (March 8, 2015). "Josh Koscheck vs. Erick Silva added to UFC Fight Night 62 in Rio de Janeiro". mmacrazytv.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  30. ^ Elias Cepeda (2015-03-21). "Erick Silva gets guillotine choke win at home over Josh Koscheck". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  31. ^ Sean Bio (2015-04-22). "Rick Story vs. Erick Silva headlines The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 Finale in Sao Paulo". cagepages.com. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  32. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2015-06-19). "Visa issues forces changes at UFC Fight Night 70, UFC 190". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
  33. ^ Ariel Helwani (2015-06-24). "Rick Story vs. Erick Silva to serve as UFC Saskatoon co-main event; other fights added to card". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  34. ^ Staff (2015-08-11). "Neil Magny in for injured Rick Story, faces Erick Silva at UFC Fight Night 74". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  35. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2015-08-23). "UFC Fight Night 74 results: Neil Magny outworks Erick Silva, settles for suspect split". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  36. ^ Staff (2016-01-13). "Erick Silva vs. Nordine Taleb joins recently announced UFC 196 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  37. ^ Steven Marrocco (2016-03-05). "UFC 196 results: Nordine Taleb leaves Erick Silva out cold in second". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  38. ^ "Erick Silva admits he threw 'unethical' punch at UFC 196". mmafighting.com. 10 March 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  39. ^ "Fighting dirty? Watch Erick Silva fake out Nordine Taleb with glove touch at UFC 196". mmajunkie.com. March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  40. ^ Lucas Rezende (2016-08-02). "Erick Silva meets Brandon Thatch at UFC Fight Night 95". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  41. ^ Staff (2016-08-13). "Injuries force several changes to UFC Fight Night 95 in Brasilia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  42. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2016-09-24). "UFC Fight Night 95 results: Erick Silva chokes out Luan Chagas in third with sneaky step behind move". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  43. ^ Tristen Critchfield (2016-09-24). "UFC Fight Night Brasilia bonuses: Spicely, Silva, Chagas, Luque pocket $50K apiece". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  44. ^ Staff (2017-03-24). "Yancy Medeiros meets Erick Silva at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  45. ^ Steven Marrocco (2017-06-03). "UFC 212 results: Yancy Medeiros' TKO win over Erick Silva comes with protest". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  46. ^ "Three Major Fights Added to UFC on FOX in Winnipeg | BJPenn.com". | BJPenn.com. 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  47. ^ "UFC on FOX 26 results: Jordan Mein dominates Erick Silva for first win since 2014". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-16. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  48. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2018-03-06). "Erick Silva in talks with UFC, other promotions after UFC contract expired". mmafighting.com.
  49. ^ John Morgan (June 14, 2018). "Erick Silva kicks off post-UFC run, headlines LFA 45 on July 20". mmajunkie.com.
  50. ^ "Erick Silva signs exclusive deal with Bellator". MMAFighting.com. September 6, 2018.
  51. ^ Mike Bohn (September 8, 2018). "Lorenz Larkin meets Erick Silva at Bellator 207 in October". mmajunkie.com.
  52. ^ Mike Bohn (October 1, 2018). "Erick Silva out of grand prix alternate bout vs. Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 207". mmajunkie.com.
  53. ^ Guilherme Cruz (January 10, 2019). "Erick Silva will face undefeated Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 216". mmafighting.com.
  54. ^ "Paul Daley vs. Erick Silva, James Gallagher vs. Jeremiah Labiano set for Bellator London". mmajunkie.com. April 2, 2019.
  55. ^ "Bellator 223 results: Paul Daley wins wild three-round slugfest over Erick Silva". MMA Junkie. 2019-06-22. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  56. ^ "Ex-UFC fighter Erick Silva confirms MMA retirement, says heart attack was 'decisive point' to end career". MMA Junkie. 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  57. ^ Guilherme Cruz (April 7, 2020). "Bellator's Erick Silva, whole family infected with coronavirus in Brazil: 'We have no idea how it got to us'". mmafighting.com.
  58. ^ "MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for May 2014 - MMAjunkie". MMAjunkie. 2014-06-07.

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