Erick Silva (born June 21, 1984) is a Brazilian former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed 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 from 2005 till 2019, he competed for the

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

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

, and

Jungle Fight Jungle Fight is a Brazilian mixed martial arts and kickboxing promotion. It was created in 2003. The name is derived from its origin, the Amazonas state in Brazil. History Jungle Fight was founded by pioneering MMA fighter and long-time Brazi ...

, where he was the inaugural Welterweight Champion. He is also former UFC Bantamweight fighter Gabriel Silva's big brother.

Mixed martial arts career

Background and early career

Silva comes from

Vila Velha Vila Velha (; ) is a Brazilian municipality situated on the coast of the state of Espírito Santo, in the Southeast Region of Brazil. It is part of the Greater Vitória Metropolitan Area and covers an area of , of which is within the urban a ...

, Brazil and was an X-Gym training partner for the likes of

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 ...

, Rafael Feijao and Jacare Souza.

Jungle Fight Championship

Silva joined Jungle Fight, appearing at Jungle Fight 9 against Carlos Eduardo dos Santos. In the third and final round, Silva defeated dos Santos via rear naked choke. At Jungle Fight 11, he defeated Igor Fernandes via unanimous decision. Silva followed that up with two further victories in the promotion. Silva then competed in a unique fight of his career, at Jungle Fight 17, which was held outdoors. On the day of the event, the weather was clear throughout, until less than an hour before the start, when rain began to fall and never stopped. The event, which went down as one of the wettest in MMA history was not a successful one for Silva who hit his downed opponent with a knee, resulting in a no contest verdict. Silva won his next fight, at Jungle Fight 21, via TKO (knee and punches) in the second round. Silva then entered into the tournament for the inaugural Jungle Fight Welterweight Championship at Jungle Fight 23. Silva defeated both opponents on the same night to win the tournament. His opening round matchup was against Gil de Freitas. The opening round saw Silva utilize his striking game to take the first round, though de Freitas came back strongly in the second round with his take downs and effective ground game. In the final round, Silva caught de Freitas with a roundhouse kick to the liver, dropping him. After Silva used ground-and-pound to set up a guillotine choke, de Freitas was forced to tap out. Silva progressed to the tournament final, where he faced the Mexican, Francisco Ayon. Ayon had just come off a split decision victory in the semi-final and he wasn't able to mount any offense against Silva, who took him down. After hitting him with several punches, Silva locked in an arm triangle choke to force the tap out with just 67 seconds on the clock. Silva therefore became the inaugural Jungle Fight Welterweight champion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Silva signed with the UFC in early 2011. He was expected to make his debut against

Mike Swick Michael Timothy Swick (born June 19, 1979) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist, who spent most of his career competing for the UFC's middleweight division. Swick, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside fellow wel ...

UFC 134 ''UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami'' (also known as ''UFC Rio'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena (Rio de Janeiro), HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The ...

. However, on August 4, 2011, it was announced that Swick had to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury and was replaced by Luis Ramos. Silva won quickly via first round TKO due to punches. Silva was expected to face promotional newcomer

Siyar Bahadurzada Siyar Bahadurzada (; born 17 April 1984) is a retired Afghan-born Dutch mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, making him the first Afghan to compete in the promotion. He currently w ...

on January 14, 2012, at UFC 142. However, Bahadurzada was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Carlo Prater. After missing a looping right hook in the opening seconds of the fight, Silva quickly followed with a left knee to the body which effectively knocked Prater down. Prater caught Silva's knee and held on to his leg as Silva began attacking with hammer fists and punches to the head. During the attack, the referee, Mario Yamasaki, repeatedly warned Silva not to hit the back of the head. When Prater appeared to go unconscious and could no longer intelligently defend himself, Yamasaki stepped in and stopped the fight. Although Silva appeared victorious, Yamasaki disqualified Silva for strikes to the back of the head. The disqualification was later upheld by the UFC. Silva then faced

Charlie Brenneman Charles Brenneman (born February 9, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional from 2007 until 2014, he competed for the UFC, ShoXC, and was the winner of the first season of the television show '' Pros vs Joes''. Backgroun ...

on June 8, 2012, at UFC on FX 3. Silva won the fight with a rear-naked choke late in the first round. Silva faced

Jon Fitch Jon Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League ...

on October 13, 2012, at

UFC 153 ''UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 13, 2012, at the HSBC Arena (Rio de Janeiro), HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background Vitor Belfort was expec ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil. After three rounds, Silva lost the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 29–28). The performance earned both participants ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Silva was expected to face

Jay Hieron Jay Hieron (born July 29, 1976) is an American actor, stuntman and former mixed martial artist. Hieron was the final IFL Welterweight Champion, competing for the Los Angeles Anacondas, and has also competed in the UFC, WEC, Affliction, ...

on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156. However, Silva pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer

Tyron Woodley Tyron Lakent Woodley (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at St ...

. Silva was expected to face

John Hathaway John Lawrence Hathaway (born 1 July 1987) is an English mixed martial artist and wrestler who competes in the welterweight division. He is one of the most accomplished modern-day catch wrestlers, having won three Snake Pit World Championship ...

on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10. However, Hathaway was pulled from the bout in late April and replaced by Jason High, who was already scheduled on the card against Ildemar Alcantara. Silva won the fight via triangle armbar submission. The finished earned him his second ''Submission of the Night'' bonus. Silva faced

Dong Hyun Kim Kim Dong-hyun (; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a South Korean retired mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion ...

on October 9, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 29. Kim defeated Silva via second round KO. Silva was expected to face returning veteran Nate Loughran on February 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 36. However, Loughran was forced out of the bout with an injury. Silva instead faced promotional newcomer Takenori Sato. He won the fight via TKO early in the first round. The win also earned him one of the first UFC ''Performance of the Night'' bonus awards. Silva faced Matt Brown in the main event at UFC Fight Night 40. He lost the fight via TKO due to punches in the third round. Despite the loss, Silva was given a ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award for his performance. Silva faced Mike Rhodes on December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 58. He won the fight by technical submission in the first round. The win also earned Silva his second ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Silva was expected to face Ben Saunders on March 21, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 62. However, on March 6, Saunders was forced from the fight citing an injury and was replaced by

Josh Koscheck Josh Koscheck (born November 30, 1977) is an American retired mixed martial artist who fought at Welterweight for the UFC and Bellator MMA. Koscheck made his debut with the UFC on the first season of the reality television show, ''The Ultimate ...

. Silva won the fight by submission in the first round. Silva was expected to face Rick Story on June 27, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 70. However, Silva was removed from the card on June 19, after visa issues restricted his entry to the United States. In turn, Story was removed from the card as well. The bout with Story was rescheduled and was expected to take place on August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74. Subsequently, Story pulled out of the bout on August 11 citing injury and was replaced by

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

. Silva lost the fight via split decision. On March 5, 2016, Silva faced Nordine Taleb at UFC 196 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. During the opening round, Silva extended his fist to Taleb to touch gloves in a sign of sportsmanship, but immediately landed a right hook as Taleb attempted to reciprocate it and respond to Silva's gesture. Taleb called the move dirty in a post-fight interview and stated he knew Silva was a "dirty" fighter. He received heavy criticism from fans and media and later apologized on his

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account, releasing a statement and admitting it was "unethical". After the loss, Silva decided to establish his own fight team, Tiger's Den MMA, to be closer to his son, Kalleu. He brought in Andre Benkei to be his head coach. Silva was briefly scheduled to face Brandon Thatch on September 24, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 95 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. However, Thatch pulled out of the fight with an undisclosed injury and was subsequently replaced by

Luan Chagas Luan Chagas (born 9 November 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Chagas was born in Navirai, Brazil and he attended Karate cla ...

. He won the back and forth fight via submission in the third round. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Silva faced

Yancy Medeiros Yancy Medeiros Jr. (born September 7, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforc ...

on June 3, 2017, at UFC 212. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Silva faced Jordan Mein on December 16, 2017, at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. The fight with Mein was the last of his contract with UFC.

Legacy Fighting Alliance

Following his departure from the UFC, Silva signed with Legacy Fighting Alliance and debuted in the main event at LFA 45 against Nick Barnes on July 20, 2018. He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Bellator MMA

On September 6, 2018, it was announced that Silva had signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA. Silva was expected to make his promotional debut against Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 207, but was forced to pull out due to an injury on October 1, 2018. Silva made his promotional debut against Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 216 on February 16, 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Silva faced

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Bellator MMA, Bella ...

at Bellator 223 on June 22, 2019. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Silva announced his retirement from MMA in 2022 after revealing that he had suffered a heart attack due to complications from Covid-19.

Personal life

Erick and his wife Isabela have two sons.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

** Fight of the Night (Three times) vs.

, Matt Brown, and Luan Chagas ** Submission of the Night (Two times) vs.

and Jason High ** Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Takenori Sato and Mike Rhodes **UFC.com Awards ***2014: Ranked #4 Fight of the Year * Jungle Fight Championship **Jungle Fight Welterweight Championship **Jungle Fight Welterweight Tournament Champion * MMAJunkie.com **2014 May Fight of the Month vs. Matt Brown *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2012 Robbery of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

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Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

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Cabazon, California Cabazon (Spanish: ''Cabazón'') is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Cabazon is on the Pacific Crest Trail. In the 21st century, the area has become a tourist stop, due to the Morongo Casino, Resort & S ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–9 (1) , Jordan Mein , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Länsberg , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:57 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 (1) , Nordine Taleb , KO (punch) , UFC 196 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:34 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 (1) ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 (1) ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:21 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 (1) , Mike Rhodes , Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Barueri Barueri ( or ) is a Brazilian municipality in the State of São Paulo located in the northwestern part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 276,982 (2020 est.) in an area of . Its boundaries are Santana de Parnaíba to ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–5 (1) , Matt Brown , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:11 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 (1) , Takenori Sato , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

Jaraguá do Sul Jaraguá do Sul () is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina. History The city was founded on July 25, 1876, by engineer and Brazilian Army colonel Emílio Carlos Jourdan and his family. The city wa ...

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, KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:01 ,

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Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:33 ,

Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 97,335 at the time of the 2020 census. History Early history In ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2 (1) , Carlo Prater , DQ (punches to back of head) , UFC 142 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

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Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 (1) , Gil de Freitas , Submission (guillotine choke) , Jungle Fight 23 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:57 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 (1) , Jose de Ribamar , TKO (knee and punches) , Jungle Fight 21 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

, Brazil , , - , NC , align=center, 9–1 (1) , Henrique Oliveira , NC (illegal knee) , Jungle Fight 17: Vila Velha , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:57 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Jorge Luis Bezerra , Decision (unanimous) , Jungle Fight 15 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Carlos Villamor , Submission (kneebar) , Jungle Fight 14: Ceará , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:38 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Igor Fernandes , Decision (unanimous) , Jungle Fight 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Carlos Eduardo Santos , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Jungle Fight 9: Warriors , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Fabio Issa , Decision (unanimous) , Open Fight , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A , Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Mario Neto , Decision (unanimous) , Superfight Vitoria , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Leandro Zumbi , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , MMA: Kombat Espirito Santo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Henrique Lango , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Guarafight 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Guarapari, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Julian Soares , KO (punch) , Guarafight 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 , Guarapari, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Fabiano Mastodonte , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Guarafight 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 , Guarapari, Brazil ,

References

External links

Official UFC Profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Erick Brazilian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Vila Velha Martial artists from Espírito Santo Brazilian male judoka Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen