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Cage Fury Fighting Championships’ Final MMA Event Of 2024 Sees A Champion Tipped For Success Face Off Against A Former Champ Who Demanded The Biggest Test Possible.
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RADLEY DA SILVA PLAYING THE LONG GAME | UFC FIGHT PASS

Streaking BFL Featherweight Champ Reflects On Recent Success, Lays Out 2025 Plan

Between October 2023 and September 2024, Radley Da Silva fought four times, more than doubling the number of professional fights he had under his belt. A life-long martial artist raised in capoeira, the 29-year-old Vancouver native returned to action with a decision win over Mike McAloon before being selected to face Maxime Soucy for the Battlefield Fight League (BFL) featherweight title in February of last year.

Except Da Silva, who was unhappy with his performance in his previous fight, pushed back against the idea of challenging for the title.

“I was telling (BFL President Jay Golshani) when he wanted me to fight for the title, ‘I can fight for this title and I know I can win, but I don’t think I’m going to give the best performance yet. If you want me to have my best performance, maybe you should give me one more fight,’” recalled Da Silva, who accepted the fight, defeated Soucy by unanimous decision, and has since gone on to successfully defend the title twice as he readies to put the belt back on the line this week at BFL 82: Night of Champions against Drew Brokenshire.

“The next fight after it, I was a little more comfortable, was able to get the finish, and then the next fight after that — each time, I really feel like I’m learning more in the cage than I am in the gym,” continued Da Silva, who delivered a viral moment with his spinning back kick knockout of Drake Randell in his most recent outing. “I’ve been in the gym for more than a decade and you can learn so much, but every time I’m in the cage, I’m learning way more.

“Each time I feel so much more comfortable letting my striking go. Every time, people are going to see a better version of me, and that’s what gets me excited about getting in the cage right now is knowing that I’m gonna learn so much, I’m gonna grow, and I’m gonna improve.”

Despite having posted four wins in a 12-month span and entering this year poised to be the next BFL titleholder to graduate to the UFC ranks in the future, the honest and thoughtful featherweight isn’t taking any time to revel in his recent success and pat himself on the back for what he has accomplished.

In fact, Da Silva still doesn’t feel like he’s really done anything of note inside the cage to this point.

“Just 14 months ago I was 2-1 and hadn’t fought in how long and now I’m gonna be 7-1 here,” he said with a smile and a chuckle, the rapid shift in his reality sounding odd to articulate. “To tell you the truth, it’s hard to dwell on it because it feels like the ride’s not over. I feel like I’m still on that same car ride going to a destination, I’m still going, so it’s hard to look back on and sit with because I’m looking towards the future.

“It feels like every time I fight right now, I’m re-introducing myself and having to prove myself again, and I like it that way; I don’t want to rest on any laurels or accolades because when I think about my career, I still get frustrated. I haven’t done anything yet. It’s actually frustrating to think about right now.

“Maybe one day when I’m in the UFC and doing well, I can be like, ‘Wow, I came from not fighting at all to making it here,’ but right now, I still feel like I haven’t accomplished a single thing, and that’s the most honest opinion I can give you on my career.”

Everything Da Silva says — the way he looks at his career and recent success, his understanding that winning is the only thing that matters at this level — his hesitation in taking that initial title fight, and his outlook for a year ahead all feel like positive indicators of future success for the now 6-1 Canadian standout.

Perhaps more than any fighter with just seven professional bouts to their credit, Da Silva understands the game, the nuances of how the sport works and how to make it work for himself as he pushes towards the next level.

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After beating Randall last September, he and his team pushed to find another opportunity before the year was out, seeking out tough assignments in various promotions, only to come up empty. They worked to get this fight with Brokenshire, a 28-fight vet who has twice previously challenged for the BFL featherweight title, and were initially rebuffed as the Pacific Northwest native had another fight on the books towards the end of 2024.

But when that contest fell apart, this one officially came together, giving Da Silva the next “checklist fight” he needed to cross of his personal list of tests he needs to pass before he’s ready to move forward.

“I fought the prospect from my home country, then I fought a prospect from another country for the first time, and then I fought  an All-American wrestler like everyone has to fight at some point in MMA,” he said with a smirk, tracing the path he’s taken to Thursday’s main event through the fighter archetypes that have stood opposite him over the last several outings. “Now I’m getting to fight the real veteran; the veteran test that everyone has to go through.

“Drew is the most well-rounded guy I’ve competed against, and he has the most experience out of everybody I’ve fought. He’s fought guys from the highest levels and beaten some of them, so it’s one of those things where it’s like ‘this is the test I have to pass to show I can be an international fighter,’ and it’s hard not to get giddy about it.

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“This is a real ‘prove it’ moment because it feels like that test I have to pass to show the UFC that ‘this guy has wins over UFC guys and I beat him,” he added. “I want to do it in impressive fashion to where it leaves no doubt that I should be fighting in the UFC.”

It’s not just that Da Silva wants to beat Brokenshire in dominant fashion either; he actually has a more specific goal in mind.

“I want to do it better than the last two Battlefield featherweight champions that fought him; that’s my goal for this fight,” he acknowledged. “Winning is the most important thing, but personally, I want to do it better than the last two guys that did it.”

That means bettering the performance turned in by Jeremy Kennedy in his final fight before graduating to the UFC, when he bested Brokenshire by unanimous decision at BFL 43 in May 2016, and surpassing the effort put forth by Mateo Vogel, who smothered “The Eternal Fire” and submitted him in the third round at BFL 76.

And if he does that — if he turns in the kind of performance he’s seeking — the next stop is the UFC, right?

“I’m hoping that I can get some attention with Contender Series, but personally, if you’re asking me what I want, I wouldn’t mind another one; the experience is the most important thing,” said Da Silva when asked about what comes next following a win this week. “I would want another one.

“I’m not gonna say I have to have another one, because if they want me to fight on Contender Series, but another one would be great for me; the more experience the better. I would have nine fights, which is perfect.

“Before May, I want another one,” he continued, laying out his ideal 2025 schedule. “I want to be good for May, June, July in order to rest and recover, have a training camp so that if Contender Series happens, I’m ready to go. I want to fight here and hopefully one more before May, if I need to, and then I’m really hoping for a spot on Contender Series.”

For “Snake Eyes,” it’s all about taking the right steps at the right time, and understanding that being fully prepared for when those big opportunities come his way is the only way to make the most of them.

“Last year, I set a goal that I wanted to be 6-1 and on the radar for Contender Series,” he said with a smile. “I feel like I did exactly that, so this year, that’s my goal: I want to have one or two fights before the Contender Series, get that win, and if everything plays out the way I want it to, end the year off with my first fight as a UFC fighter.”

While everyone else is in a rush to get to the big stage and call themselves a UFC fighter, Da Silva is happy playing the long game, and that gives him a better chance at making all his combat sports dream come true in the not too distant future.