LAS VEGAS – Erik Silva used his slick ground game once again to take out his opponent early.
Silva (9-1) was able to immediately take Anvar Boynazarov down and pound him out for the first round finish at Dana White’s Contender Series 49 on Tuesday to earn a UFC contract.
The Venezuelan fighter’s grappling was in full effect in his eighth straight win, but he says that’s not his only forte.
“Whenever they call me, (I’m ready to fight again),” Silva told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the post-fight news conference. “As you can see, I didn’t come out with any sort of injuries or anything of the sort. You have not seen all of me. You think maybe I’m a grappler because of what you saw, but I have a lot more to give – believe me.”
Not only did Silva’s past five finishes come on the ground, but they also came in Round 1, something he expected, but not necessarily planned for.
“I always say we don’t actually prepare to end fights in the first or second round,” Silva said. “You have to be prepared for a war. But at the end of the day, that’s what happened. I said I’m going to end this fight either standing up or on the ground.”
