The hard-punching Brazilian is set to take on Gerald Meerschaert on August 13.
Middleweight striker Bruno Silva is ready to restart his climb towards the division’s top 15. Following a hard-fought battle and unanimous decision loss to former GLORY champion Alex Pereira, ‘Blindado’ hopes to bounce back with an impressive finish in August.
Paired up against grappling specialist Gerald Meerschaert, the Brazilian sounds like he’s preparing for a classic clash of styles—one where he hopes his striking prevails. Although Silva says his opponent is not the cleanest striker he will ever face in the Octagon, Blindado is aware that there is no such thing as an easy fight.
In an interview with Combate, Silva explained what he expects from the battle and how he plans to deal with GM3’s awkwardness.
“I’ve watched some of his fights. I’m not a big tape watcher, but I’m starting to do it sometimes. I watched three of his fights. I have seen him fight live twice before. He has great jiu-jitsu, above average. He’s not a wrestling specialist, but knows how to take you down. When he’s on top, he goes for it. I think he’s slow, but he’s a weird guy. He takes damage and walks forward. He’s dangerous.”
Although his next fight is only scheduled for August, Silva revealed he intends to fight three more times this year, if possible. To accomplish the goal, Bruno says he is willing to take fights on short notice, provided he is not gravely injured.
“I think the UFC likes my style. I don’t know how to say ‘no’. This is going to be my fifth (UFC) fight. My goal was to do five in one year, but I got booked for August. I wanted to fight in June or July. it’s my fifth fight, but I wish I could’ve fought more. I’ve taken fights to cover guys that were injured, but the opponents didn’t accept it. I’m always ready, I’m a company man. I try to be a straight guy, who doesn’t turn down fights or gives excuses about injuries. The only reason I won’t fight is if I have an extremely serious injury. If it’s a minor injury, I’ll fight anyway.”
Before his loss to Pereira, Silva (22-6) was on a three-fight winning streak over Jordan Wright, Andrew Sanchez and Welington Turman, with all wins coming by way of knockout. The 32-year-old’s last loss came in December 2016.
Silva is expected to take on Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night 213. An official location and headliner for the card has yet to be determined by the promotion.