Athletes
Jean Silva | A Man On A Roll
Featherweight Jean Silva Faces Melsik Baghdasaryan As He Tries To Stay Undefeated In The Octagon At UFC Seattle
One of the UFC’s breakout stars of 2024, Jean Silva is riding high as he readies for his first fight of 2025 against Melsik Baghdasaryan this Saturday in Seattle.
Yet despite an 11-fight winning streak that includes three UFC wins, three stoppages and a Fight of the Night bonus for his victory over Drew Dober, Silva hasn’t been on top forever. In fact, he began his career by going 3-2 in his first five fights.
“Losing hurts a lot,” said Sao Paulo’s Silva, “So I will never go through that again.”
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He hasn’t, with that 2018 decision loss to Gabriel Schlupp de Lima his last one. And though it was a rough start, he never doubted that he would one day grace the UFC Octagon.
“Doubt?” Silva asks. “I don’t even know what that means.”
I believe him, because if the 28-year-old has shown anything since earning a contract on season seven of Dana White’s Contender Series, it’s that he possesses a supreme confidence that when he’s in there with someone trained to beat him, he believes he’ll be the one leaving with his hand raised. That comes from talent, hard work, and a good support system in and out of the gym, and Silva clicks all boxes, giving particular credit to his wife for his success.
“Carol was the one who got me into MMA, so when we talk about the UFC, we’re talking about her,” said Silva, whose migration from Muay Thai to MMA led him here, with the aid of the hottest team in the sport at the moment, The Fighting Nerds. And as his team rose in 2024, so did Silva, and the fans jumped on board with each passing win.
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“It was my authenticity and my life story,” said Silva when asked why fans embraced him so much. It may also have something to do with an aggressive attack that saw him halt Westin Wilson and Charles Jourdain before going to war with Dober last summer in a bout up a weight class at 155 pounds. Silva garnered a TKO win via doctor stoppage in the third round, and the wait for his return ends this weekend.
“This time off helped me rethink a lot about my career,” he said. “And, of course, I wanted to come back sooner, but we had some good meetings before I got back.”
The absence has made the fans’ collective heart grow fonder for Silva’s return, and he’s expected to be in a good scrap with the talented Baghdasaryan, who he respects, but not enough to believe he’s going to have to dig deeper than necessary to get the win.
“He’s a great athlete with little name recognition,” said Silva. “I think he’s a good fighter, but not good enough to face me.”
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There’s that confidence again, and while Silva talks the talk, he also walks the walk, and after a life-changing year, it’s evident that he’s chomping at the bit to get 2025 underway.
“It was a spectacular year, and it couldn’t have been any different,” said Silva about his rookie year in the UFC. “I can define it as the fulfillment of dreams. The UFC is every athlete’s dream, and today I’m here. But you have to understand that UFC is the biggest company for a reason; it brings great rewards, and with them, great responsibilities. The UFC has made me a better human being and will make me even more than I already am.”
Is that a roundabout way of saying that Jean Silva is going to top last year’s efforts with an even more spectacular run this year?
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“2025 will be the year of my success.”
UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song took place live from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on February 22, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!