Brazilian fighter Felipe Silva made his UFC debut at UFC On Fox 21, where he defeated Shane Campbell by first round TKO.
Silva hasn?t been seen in the Octagon since, which is troubling because a lot of fighters have been turning down the opportunity to battle him.
"I called out Sage Northcutt and David Teymur, whose record is similar to mine but has a bigger name in the UFC, but we had no answers,? Silva told MMA Fighting. "I?m here to fight the best. If I have the option to choose, I?d pick the best. It?s being hard to get a fight. Two weeks ago, I asked my manager Lucas (Lutkus) what was going on, and he said they tried to work on three names for me, maybe for UFC 212, but they all turned down the fight. I know one of the names, I?d rather not say it, but he said he?s someone with a big name and fighting me wouldn?t being him anything in return, that I?m a tough fighter, but not ranked yet.?
While it may be a little late for Silva to get booked at UFC 212 this June, there are plenty more UFC events for the fighter to compete in this year.
One thing that Silva wholeheartedly believes is that the fighters in the UFC fear fighting somebody like him.
"I believe they fear fighting someone like me,? he continued. "I always see fights as 50-50. I might win or I might lose. But they realize I have this huge potential and I?m a risky and dangerous fight for them. I think you can say they are a little scared, yes.?
The Brazilian has an 8-0-0 record as a professional MMA fighter, with seven of those eight wins coming by first round finishes.