Bruno Silva (fighter)

Bruno Silva (born July 13, 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former M-1 Global Middleweight Champion

Background
Silva started training in 2009 and after three months, he had his first fight. At first, it was out of curiosity because in the interior of Paraíba there was not much of a fighting culture, but after three months of training, Silva lost his father and fighting was a therapy.

Early career
Upon turning pro in 2010 up until 2012, Silva went just 6-5 in 11 contests. Silva racked up a record of 9–5 in Brazilian regional circuit before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 in 2013. “Blindado” then rattled off 14 wins in his last 16 outings. Silva lived in the northeast of Brazil, in a very small city that had no MMA structure, having to work in other professions. Silva credited his turn around to dedicating himself to his athletic career after 2012.

The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil
He passed the tryouts, advancing to the preliminary round where he however was knockout out by Vitor Miranda, and was eliminated from the season.

Russian circuit
After TUF tryouts Silva amassed seven more wins with one loss, and signed with Russian Cagefighting Championship. He made his promotional debut against Gennadiy Kovalev at RCC 2 on February 24, 2018. He won the fight via first-round knockout.

He then signed with M-1 Global and made his promotional debut against Alexander Shlemenko at M-1 Challenge 93 – Shlemenko vs. Silva on June 1, 2018. He won the fight via first round knockout.

The win lined him up for a fight against Artem Frolov for the M-1 Global Middleweight Championship which took place at M-1 Challenge 98 - Frolov vs. Silva on November 2, 2018. He claimed the championship via fourth-round technical knockout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
In May 2019 it was announced that Silva had signed with the UFC. He was scheduled to replace injured Markus Perez against Deron Winn on June 22, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 154. On June 16, it was reported that Silva was forced to pull out of the contest due to a potential anti-doping violation by USADA and was replaced by returning veteran Eric Spicely. In January 2020, news surfaced that Silva was suspended for two years for testing positive for boldenone, but at the time USADA did not confirm the news due to pending hearing. Ultimately in late June 2020, USADA announced the suspension, stating Silva would be eligible to return to competition after June 14, 2021.

Ultimately, Silva made his promotional debut against Wellington Turman at UFC on ESPN 25 on June 19, 2021. Silva won the fight via first-round knockout.

In the sophomore appearance Silva faced Andrew Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 195 on October 16, 2021. He won the fight via technical knockout in round three. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Silva next faced Jordan Wright at UFC 269 on December 11, 2021. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. The win also earned Silva his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus award.

Silva faced Alex Pereira on March 12, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 203. Silva got outstruck for all three rounds and lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Silva faced Gerald Meerschaert on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 41 He lost the fight via a guillotine choke in round three.

Silva was scheduled to face Albert Duraev on December 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 216. However, he was pulled from the event due to injury and he was replaced by Michał Oleksiejczuk.

Silva faced Brad Tavares on April 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 222. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. This performance earned Silva his third Performance Of The Night award.

Silva faced Brendan Allen on June 24, 2023 at UFC on ABC 5. He lost the bout in the first round via a rear-naked choke submission.

Silva faced Shara Magomedov on October 21, 2023, at UFC 294. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Silva faced former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman on March 30, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 54. He lost the fight after a third-round TKO stoppage by the referee. The fight was later overruled to a technical unanimous decision win for Weidman, as Silva was poked in both eyes while Weidman was throwing the combination that dropped Silva. Silva claimed that he fell due to the eye pokes. Silva's attempt to appeal the decision loss was unsuccessful.

Personal life
Silva and his fiancée have a daughter.

Championships and accomplishments

 * M-1 Global
 * M-1 Global Middleweight Championship (one time; former)
 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (Three Times) vs. Andrew Sanchez, Jordan Wright and Brad Tavares