Athletes
Danny Silva Hopes To Earn Respect
Danny Silva Hopes He Can Prove To Be A Force In The Featherweight Division When He Takes On Kevin Vallejos At UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park
After two split decision victories, Danny Silva is looking to continue his UFC win streak.
Currently 2-0 in the UFC and 10-1 overall, it would seem that Silva has not faced any adversity yet, but that isn’t the case. Between both of his wins, Silva had to pull out of a fight scheduled against Dennis Buzukja due to an undisclosed injury. If that isn’t enough evidence, both UFC wins came via split decision, so Silva is already used to a difficult matchup and that is exactly what seems to be in store for him this weekend when he faces Kevin Vallejos, who is also undefeated in the UFC and has a KO win earlier this year. When asked about this matchup, Silva had only positive words.
“It’s a good matchup for me, I think it implements a lot of my game plan. I feel like I am a natural counterpuncher,” Silva tells UFC.com, “I know that it is going to be a good fight because he is going to pressure forward.”
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Vallejos is 23 years old. but Silva is only 28, and even though he has battled injuries, Silva still deserves the respect of any fighter with multiple wins under his belt. This fight is a story of two strikers, with Silva usually being the counterpuncher to Vallejos’ aggressive attack.
It will be very telling who gets the upper hand quickly in this bout, and if Silva can make Vallejos pay for walking forward and trying to take control of the Octagon. What is always encouraging to see is the difference made through camps and Silva believes that he has done everything to put himself in position to win.
“It is the difference of my training partners, getting guys that will pressure me. It helped me realize what holes Vallejos has and what type of stuff I can land on him. It showed a lot of what I can do to him. I don’t want to have high expectations when I’m here, so I’m just focusing on myself and not expecting things to be given to me. I haven’t had easy fights, I’m here to be tested, and I want to have a good resume with what heads I took out in this division.”
Silva will be tested, but the fight will play out very quickly if he does not earn the respect of the young and quick Vallejos. Silva understands that two split decisions don’t sound like the best on paper, but he vows to win more decisively.
“Go in there, get the respect I’m owed, and I know we’re two prospects and they are going to create a bigger prospect out of this. I am ready to take on the challenges; that is the whole point of this game.”
Even though he is more of a striker, Silva has proven that he can take fighters down and end the fight via submission. This was shown against Josh Culibao, where he landed four out of ninetakedowns while trying for a submission. He has landed at least one takedown in both of his fights, and this may be the way to victory for him.
If Silva can slow down the forward pressure of Vallejos with a takedown or a clinch into a takedown, we can see the game of Silva evolve and open the game plan for other attacks.
“I am just excited to get this fight out of the way and shut up everybody. Viva La Raza.”
UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 2, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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