What’s Next for the UFC’s Brazilian Featherweight?

Jean Silva is coming off a tough loss to Diego Lopes last night at Noche UFC. Silva was hit with an extremely powerful spinning elbow from Lopes at the end of the second round. Lopes was able to get him to the ground and finish the fight before the round expired. Silva was undefeated before this fight, winning his first five fights in the UFC, with a 13-fight win streak. Silva is still very young in his career, and this fight was an important piece in him finding his comfort zone on the mat.

Going forward, Silva will need to make some adjustments along with his coaches and team. Silva’s loss is now the third recent loss for “The Fighting Nerds”, with a loss each from Caio Borralho and Mauricio Ruffy. Silva stated in a post-fight interview that emotion got the best of him and he strayed away from the game plan. Silva will look to regroup his focus for future fights, as this showed him the mental side of the physical sport when fighting a talented opponent. Due to Lopes’ high rank, Silva will drop a few spots on the ranking, but could find his way back to the upper tier with a win in his next fight. Silva should take some time to readjust and get back into another fight. When he is ready, it would be smart for him to take on a challenging but not too physically demanding job in the hope of a win. A win for Silva in his next fight will be a needed boost in confidence to get him back in his rhythm.

Although it was a tough loss for Silva, he will have a lot to look at and learn from this fight. As a young fighter, these early losses are pivotal to a career as they have the opportunity to grow as a fighter following the loss. Silva and his team have a lot of potential for greatness, and the next steps they take are very important. Silva should get back in the gym, readjust his mental game plan, and try to seal a win for his next fight.