For many UFC fighters, their next match is won or lost on the scales. If you cut weight the wrong way, it can ruin your performance in the Octagon at the worst time.
As it turns out, that’s exactly what Erick Silva learned prior to facing Jon Fitch at UFC 153.
During an interview with Fighters Only, the X-Gym and Team Nogueria star explained how a poorly managed 15-pound weight cut would come back to bite him. According to Silva, his cardio suffered greatly as a result, even with the customary 24 hours to rest and rehydrate before his match.
However, he vows that it won’t happen again when facing seasoned veteran Jay Hieron at UFC 156 in Las Vegas this February:
I won’t permit it to happen again. I will be attentive to the weight, I will work it well. I won’t have much on me by the end of the year. In the last fight, I thought that it would be better to get heavier in the final stages of training but afterwards I realized that it ended up making me more slow and tired. Now this is going to be a whole new ball game.
Silva looks to rebound with a win against Hieron, hopefully inching closer to title contention despite his latest setback. Since joining the UFC off a 13-1-0-1 run in the Brazilian regional circuit, Silva only has a 2-2 record to show for his efforts.
However, one of those losses comes with an asterisk, as Silva was infamously disqualified for punches to the back of head during his UFC 142 bout with Carlo Prater by referee Mario Yamasaki.
Regardless, Silva has turned in memorable performances in each of his UFC fights, with “Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” honors in his last two performances against Fitch and Charlie Brenneman respectively.
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