“Lord” is betting on himself.
Top Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight contender Jean Silva is still waiting on his next assignment — but he’s making plenty of noise in the meantime, pushing hard for a title shot.
There’s just one problem.
Reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t seem interested at all.
Instead, Volkanovski has made it clear he’d prefer to face undefeated No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev — a matchup that, on paper, makes the most sense, especially after his most recent
win at UFC London.
Silva doesn’t see it that way and thinks it’s a bad idea.
“It’s really a dangerous game to let some guy like Movsar to be a champion in the league,” Silva told Ariel Helwani. “Because the whole thing revolves around the champion…And out of all the fights he’s had, he’s had 10-11 cancellations at this point, I think. If you look at it, I have the formula for what a UFC champion should be.”
For Silva, it’s not just about winning — it’s about selling.
“This is more than just a fighting championship,” Silva continued. “It’s a sports league, so whoever is at the front, that person has to be able to bring the viewership, you have to promote. It’s about audience interest — you have to make sure that you’re bringing it in, and I personally wouldn’t sign up for Paramount to watch Movsar’s fight for the belt. No one should do that because you just don’t know what’s going to happen…I’m the guy who actually brings it. I’m the name out there. There’s no other name that could do it as well as I can.”
There’s some truth to the argument.
Silva has been far more explosive inside the Octagon, racking up five finishes in six UFC appearances (watch highlights). Meanwhile, Evloev remains undefeated but has yet to score a finish in 10 fights with the promotion.
Still, resume matters — and that’s where Silva lags behind.
His biggest opportunity came against Diego Lopes, where he was stopped just six months ago (watch highlights). It’s the main reason Volkanovski — and many others — aren’t sold on him as the next challenger.
But if Silva does manage to leapfrog the division, he’s already raising the stakes.
“He’s afraid of facing me,” Silva said. “What does he want to do? 25 minutes of defending takedowns? My message to Volkanovski is this: Let’s just stop all the BS. Let’s think straight about it. Let’s go in and exchange some strikes. I’ll say this: if he wins, if Volkanovski wins, I’ll leave the UFC. That’s what I’ll say.”
That’s a massive gamble.
We’ve heard similar vows before — most notably from Chael Sonnen — and they don’t always stick.
But hey, if the annoying barking gimmick finally stops, I’m down.
