It may seem like Claudio Silva is in hostile territory today in England, given he’s from Brazil.
But the welterweight standout does much of his training in London, where he has lived for more than 10 years.
Silva (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) today takes on England’s Danny Roberts (16-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in a welterweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 5. This will be Silva’s fourth fight in the UFC, and his third in England. He’s a slight favorite against Roberts.
Catch up with Silva ahead of their fight, which could be one of the hidden gems on the card. UFC on ESPN+ 5 takes place Saturday at The O2 in London. The card streams on ESPN+.
Even though we don’t see you very often, you’ve been very successful in your MMA and UFC career. Can you talk about that?
My career speaks for itself. I have 12 wins. My single loss should have been a no-contest but it was deemed a disqualification. I was dominating the entire time. And my canceled fights were due to injuries. Today, I’m a more mature athlete. I don’t do as much crazy stuff as I used to. I’m very much looking forward to fighting and winning in London.
What can you say about your opponent, Danny Roberts, who trains with the Blackzilians?
He’s very good. He’s coming off two victories. But nothing about him scares me. I’m confident that I’ll dominate him. And I don’t care with whom my opponents train. He could be training with Jon Jones. When the cage door closes, it will be just the two of us. This won’t be any different. I’ll do what I always do – deliver a beating without receiving one.
Tell us about your fight preparation
In London, I train at Team Titan. And I’m also training in Brazil at New Level Muay Thai Academy. I always bring in partners who closely match up my opponents. If I’m going to face a tall guy, I won’t train with smaller partners. I keep it realistic. I pick someone who mirrors my opponent, like someone who’s a southpaw. Beyond that, a fight is just a fight. We train, and put our strategy into action. Nothing new about that.
What other work have you been doing outside of fighting?
Outside fighting, I have an acai delivery service. I’m a businessman. I work with acai. And I’m always training. I stay involved in jiu-jitsu, fighting and teaching private classes. I’m always looking for hard, honest work.
Final thoughts?
Stay tuned. I’ll be aggressive. I’ll keep moving forward. And I’ll deliver another beating.
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