Erick Silva wasn’t about to add his name to the lengthy ledger of UFC fighters who have gone to a decision in 2014.
The X-Gym and Nogueira Brothers fighter wasted little time in his UFC Fight Night 36 bout against a debuting Takenori Sato.
Silva landed the bout’s first big blow with a vicious kick to the solar plexus, which rocked Sato backwards. Sato lunged for a single-leg, but got hit with a pair of spinning back heel kicks for his troubles.
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After Sato dropped to the mat, a standing Silva landed a series of punches to the head until referee Mario Yamasaki waved off the fight at the 52-second mark.
“I was actually trying to kick him with the point of my feet in the middle of his body, because I know the point of the foot hurts more,” Silva said through an interpreter. “And that’s what I was able to do.”
Silva walked into the Octagon as the loser of two of his past three fights; then left the winner of two of his past three. Silva said he had to prove a point in front of his Brazilian countrymen.
“I was working very hard for three months, I had to put on a very good show for the people to believe in me again,” Silva (16-4, 1 NC) said. “I’ll be back in the gym on Monday.”
Sato, a former King of Pancrase welterweight champ, dropped to 17-9-7.