Athletes
Francis Marshall Wants To Make It Emphatic
UFC Featherweight Opens Up On Split-Decision Lessons And Vows To Leave No Doubts As He Makes His Octagon Return.
After almost a year away from the Octagon, Francis Marshall is ready to return with an improved skillset, a sharper focus, and a burning desire to put things right after a frustrating recent run.
Since earning his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series back in August 2022, Marshall has gone 2-3 in the Octagon. But, despite a start that has brought more losses than wins, Marshall is upbeat about how things have gone in his first five UFC appearances. Two of those defeats came via split decision; rather than frustration, he's using them as a lesson to be more emphatic and positive in his bouts.
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"I feel like it's gone decent," he assessed.
"There's some close calls that could have went the other way, that I could have been looking at 4-1 instead of a 2-3 record, but that's kind of out of my hands. That's more in what the judges see, and I've got to be more active in fights and look for more finishes and try to dominate more.
"That's what I'm doing going into this fight – looking to finish more, looking to make it more one-sided, to take it out of the judges' hands, or leave no questions for anyone, just to let them know I won the fight."
After entering the UFC as an undefeated prospect, he has had to deal with the mental test of processing defeats and bouncing back. It's been a learning experience for Marshall, who is taking a level-headed view of his UFC career to date.
"The first one was probably the toughest. That one was the first loss on an undefeated record – didn't lose amateur, didn't lose pro," he said.
"So I just wanted to really get back in there. I was like, I need to fight right away. Then I fought (Isaac) Dulgarian three or four months later, and I kind of went into that fight with a lot of like, 'I don't want to lose two in a row. I can't lose back-to-back,' instead of focusing on winning or performing good. I was so worried about losing two in a row, and then I ended up there – I had a terrible performance.
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"Then I was out for a year, came back with a win. The year came back, got a win that I was happy with on short notice. And then, going into the (Mairon) Santos fight, I was feeling a little bit better, and then had a really good performance, I thought. But, in some of the judges' eyes, it wasn't what they, I guess, wanted to see. So he got a close decision there.
"So then, from that fight, I think I learned a lot is just putting the pressure on more, hitting the gas pedal, and just not letting the opponent stay close."
Defeats are never easy to stomach, but split-decision losses perhaps offer the potential for the most mental turmoil, with fighters heading home with a loss on their record, while also knowing that they were so close to capturing the victory.
In the case of Marshall's split-decision loss to Santos last time out, he chose to focus positively on how he saw his own performance, and later discovered that many others shared his view.
"It stings more at first, but then after a couple hours, you rewatch the fight, and you see everyone online or other MMA media outlets kind of swaying my way, which was helpful (to know that) I wasn't the only one that thought I won the fight," he said.
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"It makes it feel like I won that fight. It doesn't hurt as much as when I got finished by Dulgarian. I went home (after the Santos fight), and I didn't feel like I lost the fight. On my record, obviously, (it's a) loss and everything like that, but leaving the fight, it didn't feel like, 'Wow, I just got beat up,' or 'I just lost the fight.' It felt like I won.
"So I think for me, that just shows me like, hey, you're right there. This is a high-level guy. He's obviously on a good streak now; he's beating some good guys. So it's like you're knocking on the door. You've just got to hit the gas a little more and take it away from these guys."
In addition to dealing with the frustration of razor-close decisions going against him, Marshall has also had his patience tested as injuries have hampered his ability to bounce back.
His last bout saw him lose a split-decision verdict to Mairon Santos at UFC 313. But as well as his third career defeat, Marshall came out of the matchup unable to make a quick turnaround to address the loss.
"First, I had a little knee injury after that fight with Santos, so that took maybe a month or two extra to heal, and then I got booked for August, and the second week of camp, I was sparring third round, and then ended up tearing cartilage in my rib," he explained.
"So that took about six weeks to heal, and then from August, I've just been training and kind of waiting for the call to get a fight, and finally got one."
That missed booking, against Austin Bashi, was a source of frustration for Marshall, who was unable to train due to the tricky nature of his rib injury.
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"There was really not much I could do," he admitted.
"Sharp pain, even anything, getting off the couch, getting out of bed, would hurt for a good couple weeks. So I think it would have been like trying to go into a fight without training, which I don't think would have been a great idea. So had to kind of pull out of that one, which is the first time I've pulled out, which kind of sucks for me."
It meant that Marshall had to bide his time and wait for his injury to heal before returning to full-contact training again. And, while he had to wait a while for his next bout agreement to arrive, Marshall used his time wisely to take his skills to the next level.
Francis Marshall Delivers A Big KO In His UFC Debut | UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs Holland
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Francis Marshall Delivers A Big KO In His UFC Debut | UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs Holland
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"It's a little bit of a fresh start, but it's also just more time I had to get better," he explained.
"I train down at American Top Team with some of the best guys in the world. From my Buzukja fight, on five days' notice, I had a decent performance to seven months later, six months later, I fought Santos, had a great performance, and now it's like another 11 months of great work to go out there and show the world how it's been."
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The time spent competing at the highest level, interspersed with elite-level training at American Top Team, has seen Marshall noticeably improve his skills to the point that he now feels at home at the famed Florida gym, where he shares the mats with some of the very best fighters in the world.
"Just skill development. Technically, I feel better, more confident," he explained
"Being able to train with these high-level guys and start being able to have more success with them over the past year or so is just building confidence. And just, technically, I feel like I've gotten better on the stand-up from where I came two years ago to now – I feel like it's night and day. Every time I get in there, and I'm able to be able to train with these guys and then get back in the cage, I think there's going to be big improvements."
With his injuries now behind him, another training camp with ATT in the bank and the confidence that he's stepping into the Octagon better than he's ever been before, Marshall feels primed and ready for a big performance when he takes on Venezuela's Erik Silva on Saturday night in Mexico City.
"I think he's tough. He's not going to shy away from the fight," said Marshall.
"He's got an unorthodox style on the feet. I know he has a lot of submission finishes, so that's gonna be something to look out for, but I think it's gonna be a fun fight. Just stay safe away from the crazy, unorthodox striking, and look for a win."
And in a fight, he said he intends to finish inside the first two rounds, Marshall said all options are open as he prepares to win the fight wherever the action takes him on Saturday night.
"I feel like grappling is a path to victory. I feel like stand-up is the path to victory," he said.
"I feel like this is a very good opportunity for me to showcase a full set of skills."
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Kavanagh took place live from Arena CDMX in Mexico City on February 28, 2026. 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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