TAMPA, Fla. – Felipe Silva moved to 2-0 at featherweight in just a few months after his win at UFC on ESPN 63.
But the 145-pound division probably doesn’t have a new prospect on its hands. Instead, after his win over Miles Johns (15-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., Silva (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) said his plan is to move back to bantamweight – where he wants to win a title.
“I want to take my time, of course,” Silva said at his post-fight news conference. “We’re going to say yes to all the (names) that come. We’re going to be right for everything and let it flow. (Whatever name) comes, we’re going to grab it.
“One day I’ll move up, but right now I’m ’35. My goal is to be a bantamweight champion one day.”
Silva was the Oktagon MMA bantamweight champion when he signed with the UFC earlier this year for a short-notice fight against Muhammad Naimov after Melsik Baghdasaryan pulled out. That fight was at featherweight, and Silva jumped at the chance to get into the UFC even at the higher weight.
He took advantage of the opportunity in a big way with a third-round submission and a $50,000 post-fight bonus award. The follow-up was Johns’ move to featherweight after a pair of bantamweight bouts against ex-champ Cody Garbrandt were scrapped, but he ran into a tough out in Silva – who said he wants to keep moving up, particularly now that he’s felt some international love outside Brazil.
“By the end of the 2025, I want to finish in the top 10, top 11. That’s my goal. Doesn’t matter (who I fight) – who’s above? I want to fight them.
“It feels amazing to be in UFC, especially because it’s my first time in America. Fighting here is something else. The American fans, they were great. They were super nice and they have a great energy. I was walking on street to get some fresh air. (Fans) stopped me. I felt so much love.”
Check out Silva’s full post-fight interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.
