Count the most recent opponent of Alex Pereira among those that believe the ex-kickboxer will smash his way through the rest of the division.
At UFC Fight Night 203 in March, Pereira (5-1) and “Blindado” Bruno Silva (22-7) threw down for three hard-fought rounds to open up the main card. Pereira ultimately had his hand raised after the judges handed down matching 30-27 scores in his favor. Silva did have his moments in the fight, landing a pair of takedowns and getting off some heavy shots of his own, but he could not so much as win a round.
Silva’s loss snapped a three-fight knockout win streak for him, but he very nearly had an opportunity for a high-stakes, short-notice opportunity because of his performance. “Blindado” spoke to Sherdog on Wednesday about his last fight and how he sees Pereira going forward.
“Some fights you enter to win, and others, to make history,” Silva noted. “I promised a great fight and delivered. I was not able to turn ‘Poatan’ off, but he wasn’t [able to knock me out either]. Unfortunately, this loss didn’t put me in the top 15, but the biggest proof the UFC liked [the fight] is that they called me last week to face Andre Muniz.”
Due to his two-month medical suspension after 15 minutes of action with Pereira, Silva was unable to accept the fight. He still wanted it even if he couldn’t take it.
“I don’t like to say no to [the] UFC, but I was coming from four fights in nine months, and after three rounds against ‘Poatan,’ I can return [to compete] after May 12,” the Brazilian explained.
Silva recognized greatness in his opponent, even with just six MMA fights under the belt of “Poatan.” When asked for his thoughts about Pereira’s next fight against Sean Strickland in July, Silva had no doubt that his former opponent would get his hand raised.
“I don’t see Strickland very dangerous in any area,” Silva admitted. “He is able to take down, to exchange punches and grapple, but he is not precise and lethal in any area. The only thing he does really well is ask the opponents to beat his face. If he asked me to do that, I would either enter his soul or take his head off and I’m sure ‘Poatan’ will do the same. I don’t see Strickland winning. The only way he could win against ‘Poatan’ is holding the fight and getting him tired.”
Coming off a loss, “Blindado” is totally realistic about his options moving forward. He does not expect a ranked opponent, but he would very much like one if the promotion saw to match him up accordingly.
“When you lose a fight you need to shut up, not choose fights,” Silva stated. “But after three knockouts and two bonuses in four fights, I really hope [the] UFC is taking good care of me. If I could choose a ranked guy in the sequence, it would be Brad Tavares, Edmen Shahbazyan or Kelvin Gastelum.”
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