Cláudio Silva (born 6 September 1982) is a Brazilian-British

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

currently competing in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division. A professional since 2007, he has competed for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

, and the

Super Fight League Super Fight League is a mixed martial arts promotion, based in India. The organisation was formed in 2012 by actor Sanjay Dutt and British-Indian businessman Raj Kundra, and is currently co-owned by British-Indian businessman Bill Dosanjh and ...

Background

Silva was born in the Brazilian city of

Rondonópolis Rondonópolis (formerly known as Rio Vermelho (Red River)) is the third-largest municipality in Mato Grosso, Brazil. It is located around from Cuiabá, the capital of the state. The city is named for military officer and explorer Cândido Rondon ...

, and is a son of priestess Claudiu Vitega and retired military officer Fabio Paixao, he was raised during his youth in

Minas Morgul Minas or MINAS may refer to: People with the given name Minas * Menas of Ethiopia (died 1563) * Saint Menas (Minas, 285–309) * Minias of Florence (Minas, Miniato, died 250) * Minas Alozidis (born 1984), Greek hurdler * Minas Avetisyan (1928 ...

. At the age of seven, he began training karate and later picked up

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th cent ...

. At the age of fourteen, Silva joined a gang in which he began dealing drugs and committed numerous other crimes. He began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the tutelage of Elan Santiago at the age of 18. Eventually he attempted an armed robbery in a mall, was arrested and sent to prison. After being released, Silva turned his life around by moving to Poços de Caldas and started training jiu-jitsu full-time under Paulo Rezende. In 2006 he moved to

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

where he began training at Brasa with

Robert Drysdale Robert Lewis Drysdale (born October 5, 1981) is a Brazilian-American Brazilian jiu-jitsu 4th degree black belt under Léo Vieira, a retired mixed martial artist and an instructor at his own BJJ academy, "Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu". Havi ...

. He started training mixed martial arts in 2005 and temporarily moved to Italy where he lived for a time with an aunt before moving to the Greater London area of England in 2007 in an effort to refine his jiu-jitsu.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Silva turned professional in late 2007, competing at both middleweight and welterweight, primarily for regional promotions in England where he compiled a record of 9–1 before signing with the UFC in late 2013.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Silva made his promotional debut against Brad Scott on 8 March 2014 at UFC Fight Night 37. Silva won the fight via unanimous decision. Silva was expected to face

Neil Magny Aoutneil "Neil" Jacques Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Magny ...

in a welterweight bout on 28 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 43. However, Silva was forced from the bout due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Rodrigo Goiana de Lima. Silva made his return to the welterweight division and faced Leon Edwards on 8 November 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 56 ''UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 56'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Ginásio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlândia, Brazil, on November 8, 2014. Background After previously holding even ...

. Despite being out-landed on the feet, Silva was able to take Edwards down and obtain dominant positions, repeatedly threatening with submission attempts. Silva defeated Edwards via split decision. Silva was scheduled to face

Nordine Taleb Nordine Taleb ( ar, نوردين طالب, born June 10, 1981) is a French-Canadian professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed in the Welterweight division of the ARES FC. A professional since 2007, he has also competed for Bellat ...

on 25 April 2015 at

UFC 186 ''UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 25, 2015, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background The event was the seventh event that the UFC has hosted in Montreal, Quebec. The event was expec ...

. However, Silva pulled out of the bout with a broken foot and was replaced by Chris Clements. Silva was expected to face

Siyar Bahadurzada Siyar Bahadurzada ( fa, سیار بهادرزاده; born 17 April 1984) is a retired Afghan-born Dutch mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently works as an instructor for ...

on 30 July 2016 at

UFC 201 ''UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 30, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background This was the third event that the organization has hosted in Atl ...

. However, Silva was forced out of the bout in mid-June with an injury and replaced by

Jorge Masvidal Jorge Masvidal (born November 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Masvidal has been competing professionally since 2003; h ...

. After an extended hiatus due in part to a litany of lingering injury issues, Silva returned to face

on 27 May 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 130 ''UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 130'' or ''UFC Liverpool'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the UFC that was held on May 27, 2018, at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Background The event w ...

. Silva won the fight via first round rear-naked choke submission. This win earned him a

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

award. Silva was expected to face

Ramazan Emeev Ramazan Dadaevich Emeev (russian: Рамазан Дадаевич Эмеев; born May 20, 1987 in Dagestan) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is Combat Sambo World Champion who currently fights in the Welterweight division. He is a former M ...

on 15 September 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 136 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 136'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 15, 2018 at Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Background The ev ...

. However, Silva pulled out of the fight in early-September citing a lower back injury. Silva faced Danny Roberts on 16 March 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 147 ''UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 147'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 16, 2019 at The O2 Arena in London, England. ...

. He won the fight via an armbar submission in the third round. The bout with Emeev was rescheduled and was expected to take place on 3 August 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 5 ''UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 3, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background T ...

. In turn, Emeev was removed from this event due to alleged

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

issues, that restricted his travel to the United States. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Cole Williams. At the weigh-ins, Williams weighed in at 176 pounds, 5 pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit of 171. As a result Williams was fined 30 percent of his purse, and the bout proceeded at a catchweight. Silva won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Silva was scheduled to face

Muslim Salikhov Muslim Magomedovich Salikhov (born June 9, 1984), is a Russian mixed martial artist and Sanda fighter who currently competes in welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A multiple time Wushu Sanda wor ...

on 18 October 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie. However on October 4, it was announced that Salikhov pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by James Krause. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Silva faced

Court McGee Courtney Scott "Court" McGee (born December 12, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, McGee mostly fought in local prom ...

on 22 May 2021 at UFC Fight Night 188 He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Silva was expected to return after extended hiatus and face Gunnar Nelson on 19 March 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 204 ''UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 204'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 62'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 19, 2022 at The O2 Arena in Lo ...

. However, Silva pulled out in early March due to a knee injury and was replaced by

Takashi Sato is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional since 2013, he currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Early life Born to a Japanese father and Taiwanese mother, Sato grew up in Shinjuk ...

. Silva faced

Nicolas Dalby Nicolas Dalby (born November 16, 1984) is a Danish mixed martial artist who is currently fighting in the Welterweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2008, he is both a former Welterweight and interim welterweight ...

on July 23, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 208 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 208'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 66'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 23, 2022, at The O2 Arena in Lon ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. In August 2022, it was announced that Silva was no longer on the UFC roster.

Championships and accomplishments

(One time) vs.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 14–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–2 , James Krause , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Cole Williams , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Danny Roberts , Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:37 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Leon Edwards , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uberlândia Uberlândia () is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. It is the second largest municipality in the state of Minas Gerais after the state capital Belo Horizonte. Its population in 2020 was 699,097, making it the fo ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Brad Scott , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Xavier Foupa-Pokam , Decision (unanimous) , SFL 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, India , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Matt Erwin , TKO (injury) , WFC 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:34 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Jean-Francois Lenogue , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

BAMMA 5 This is a listing of event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership ''BAMMA 1'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 27 June 2009 at the Roo ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Aurelijus Kerpe , Submission (armbar) , EFC: Fight for the Fallen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:02 ,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Denniston Sutherland , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC: The Ultimate Battle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Earl Brown , Submission (armbar) , EFC: The Ultimate Battle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Aurelijus Kerpe , Submission (armbar) , EFC: The Ultimate Battle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Shaun Lomas , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC: Collision Course , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 ,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Paul Jenkins , TKO (punches) , AM 14: Ready for War , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Matt Thorpe , DQ (illegal elbow) , UWC 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, England , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Claudio Brazilian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing capoeira Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people 1982 births Brazilian emigrants to the United Kingdom Sportspeople from London Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian capoeira practitioners Brazilian male karateka People from Rondonópolis Sportspeople from Mato Grosso