Felipe Silva put his undefeated record on the line in his UFC debut, and only needed 73 seconds to stop Shane Campbell at Vancouver’s UFC on FOX 21. Silva admits he didn’t foresee scoring the second-fastest win of his MMA career in the biggest fight of his life on Aug. 27, but wants his return to the Octagon to be as quick as his fight.
"I didn’t expect to win in a minute, but my strategy was to get the knockout in the first round," Silva told MMA Fighting. "I saw some openings in his game, I thought he was too slow for the division. I usually open up my game in the third minute, but he felt the first combination I landed and gave me the chance to knock him out, and that’s what happened. My plan was to hurt him with body punches and get the knockout."
Fighting out of Curitiba’s CM System, where he trains with UFC and PRIDE veteran Cristiano Marcello, Silva thinks MMA fans have yet to see what he can do inside the Octagon.
"I still have a lot to show," he said. "It was a quick fight. I believe I showed some qualities standing with my boxing, and I don’t remember seeing someone do a muay thai clinch like that in a long time in the UFC, with elbows and knees. I believe I showed a glimpse of what I do in the UFC. I’ll be able to show more in my next fights."
With his first UFC win under his belt, Silva now plans on being more active as a fighter. The 32-year-old lightweight made his mixed martial arts debut in 2013, and basically only fought twice a year. Coming out uninjured from his trip to Vancouver, Silva hopes to be part of the Nov. 19 UFC card planned for a yet-to-be-determined city in Brazil.
Silva is not the type of guy who likes to call out opponents, but is interested in facing a fellow striker to "put on another show" in his next bout. Asked who would be a good match-up, he suggests Sage Northcutt.
Northcutt signed with the UFC after impressing president Dana White at Legacy FC 44 in 2015, and Silva thinks his style is perfect for "Super" Northcutt to prove what he can do in the Octagon.
"I think it’s soon to go out calling other athletes out, but I’d really enjoy fighting Sage Northcutt," Silva said. "We’re both high-level strikers and that’s what I seek in the UFC. Ever since he got in the UFC, he only fought fighters that ran away from the stand-up fight and tried to take him to the ground and he couldn’t show his striking in the UFC, and I think I’d be a great test for him standing."
Northcutt racked up a 3-1 UFC record with wins over Frank Trevino, Cody Pfister and Enrique Marin, suffering his only loss to welterweight prospect Bryan Barberena, and the Brazilian thinks he deserves all the hype he’s getting.
"I don’t think he’s overrated. I do think he’s a great talent," Silva said. "He’s only 20 years old and already has three UFC wins. I want this fight because I know we will both stand and fight, and that’s what I always want."