Some of the most exciting fighters to come through Dana White’s Contender Series in recent years have all been from the same team.
Jean Silva will be representing the Fighting Nerds when he makes the walk to the Octagon for the fifth time this weekend at UFC 314.
The Brazilian has quickly emerged as a fan favorite but on April 12 in Miami, his stock could rise to all new levels as he features in one of the most talked about matchups of the year so far.
Silva has shared some incredibly tense exchanges with Bryce Mitchell ahead of their featherweight bout at the Kaseya Center on Saturday night.
The 28-year-old instantly made an impression when fighting for his contract back in 2023 where he defeated an undefeated prospect that has since been labelled a ‘future star’ by UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping.
Jean Silva handed Kevin Vallejos his first defeat on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023
On episode 5 of season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, five new names received UFC contracts after winning their fights in impressive fashion.
Dione Barbosa, Dylan Budka, Serhiy Sidey and Brendson Ribeiro all did enough to secure a contract but it was in the second fight of the night where the star of this group emerged.
With his Fighting Nerds teammate Carlos Prates booking his spot on the roster in the previous week’s main event, Jean Silva looked to continue this momentum on September 5 in 2023.
Silva brought a 7-fight win streak and 100% finishing rate into the Octagon but he was still considered to be the underdog against the 11-0 Kevin Vallejos who was just 21-years-old at the time.
The fight was dynamite from an early stage as the two men traded strikes with Vallejos taking the first round on all three scorecards.
Silva started to pull ahead in the latter half of the fight, ending the second round in explosive fashion before continuing this form in the third.
Somehow Vallejos’ toughness kept him in the fight to deny Silva’s 100% finishing rate and whilst the young Argentine impressed, it was clear that his opponent’s performance was enough to earn him the win and a contract.
Dana White spoke highly of Vallejos when announcing the contract winners which only made Silva’s display even more worthy of praise.
“Silva, the underdog. Throws elbows like he throws hands. Great chin, incredible hand speed. Obviously he fights like a dog, he’s fun to watch. He’s 26-years-old, he’s not even in his prime yet. I’m excited to see this kid and he is absolutely coming into the UFC, get over here Silva.”
Both Jean Silva and Kevin Vallejos hit the ground running in the UFC
With Dana White stating that Kevin Vallejos would be back after gaining some more experience, that’s exactly what happened as the young prospect returned to the show one year later where he stopped Cam Teague in the first round.
Vallejos went onto win his UFC debut this past March, also with a first-round finish, to announce his arrival in the featherweight division where he could be a serious problem.
Silva did a similar thing last year, stopping his first opponent before the end of the first round and he’s now riding a four-fight and finish streak which sees him compete on the main card of one of the biggest events of the year.
Perhaps the two former foes will meet again in the future given how impressive they have both been after arriving on the big stage.
