Bruno Silva, Climbing Back Towards Contention

Six months ago, Bruno Silva was on a fast track to the flyweight Top 10 and gaining steam. Now, he returns to the cage with an eye towards recapturing that momentum.

From 2021 to 2024, “Bulldog” strung together four straight wins by finish inside of two rounds, netting himself “Performance of the Night” bonuses for each and certifying himself as a force to contend with in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s ultra-competitive men’s flyweight division. That impressive streak netted him a coveted spot opposite ranked contender Manel Kape on the main card of UFC Tampa last December. In his highest-profile booking to date, Silva became the nail to Kape’s hammer, falling via third-round TKO to a nasty body kick and hail of follow-up punches from the powerful Angolan. In reviewing that performance, Silva makes no excuses, and instead frames the setback as a step in his own development while praising his foe.

“The plan is always to win and score a bonus,” Silva told Sherdog.com. “I was going for five in a row but it didn’t happen. That’s it. When fighting at a high level, there are always surprises. I was very confident about my hands. Out of my four previous wins, three were knockouts. That’s what we wanted. But Manel is hard to hit. He moves very well. I think I should have used a different strategy to better my odds. Live and learn.”

Silva will now have the chance to put on display any lessons learned from the Kape fight, as he faces off against Joshua Van in the top preliminary bout of UFC 316 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. The matchup, originally scheduled for March, had to be pushed back while Silva recovered from some lingering dings and dents.

“When I was getting ready [for the Van fight] I had to take a couple of weeks off due to a hand injury,” Silva said. “I couldn’t train correctly. When I got back, I had an arm injury. When I came back from that, I hurt my rib. After the last injury, my doctor said I’d be OK again in two weeks, but the fight was four weeks out. I hadn’t had a chance to prepare at all. So, we postponed. Now everything has been going well. I can hardly wait – KO and bonus.”

The layoff means that Silva has had the 23-year-old Van, the hottest prospect in the flyweight division and perhaps the entire promotion, in his sights for most of 2025. “He’s a young boxer with great endurance,” he said. “We did see some holes in his grappling game. The game plan is to fight MMA, mixing all the arts, while looking for a KO or submission.”

Preparation for this fight took place at his new training home in South Florida, where he has relocated after coming to the UFC as a product of the Pitbull Brothers and Fight Ready. “I trained in Florida at American Top Team with coaches Anderson Franca and Jussier Formiga. I’m training with all the fighters here.”

“My plan is to get back to winning, climb up the rankings and become champion,” the 34-year-old concluded. “That’s always been the plan.”