Steven Siler got the job done on Thursday, but not without a little controversy, which he discussed following his PFL 4 win against Alexandre Almeida.
Uniondale, NY — It seems like you simply can’t have an MMA card in New York without some sort of controversy. On Thursday night at PFL 4, it was minimal, but it was certainly there. In the main card featherweight battle between Steven Siler and Alexandere Almeida, Siler dropped Almeida early. The former UFC fighter pounced, and went for a guillotine. Almeida appeared, on replay, to go limp, at least partially. The ref stepped in, Siler had the win, but Almeida was immediately up and protesting.
Speaking to Siler post-fight, he recalled how the finish came. “I felt like I rocked him, saw him go on all fours. Saw that neck open. Probably should have punched him a little bit more, but I went for the choke,” he explained. “He started going limp, falling forward, ref stopped it. I wasn’t sure if he was out or not,” the featherweight admitted.
That’s certainly an honest take. Siler continued, adding that “right when I let go, I felt him kind of stiffen up, so I kind of knew he wasn’t out, but you can’t put me back in position. It just doesn’t work that way.” Fair enough. Once the call is made, the call is made. Siler has the win, whatever you think of the stoppage.
Speaking at the end of the night, PFL chief Ray Sefo said he felt Almeida was out. Though he did note that Alexandre had asked him about appealing the ruling, something that would have to be filed with the NYSAC.
In the meantime, Siler told us that he’d love to keep fighting at such a brisk pace (there was about six weeks between PFL 1, where he made his season debut, and PFL 4). “I love fighting quick turnarounds to tell you the truth.”
That said, Siler is going to enjoy some time with his family before he gets back to training. With two finishes in the regular season, it’s a break he’s certainly earned.
And did he ever, through his years in the UFC and after, think he’d be competing for a million bucks? “No actually I never thought a million dollars would even be possible,” he told us. “Now that it is, I’m going to take advantage of it.”
As for who might pose a challenge in the post-season, “they’re all threats,” Siler said. “All these guys are tough guys, that’s why they’re in the tournament. Because they’re all tough guys. If they even make the top eight, that just shows how good they are.”
“Whoever is in my way, I’ll hopefully knock them down,” he added, “and get back for the next round.”
Siler will be back for the post-season this fall. In the meantime, check out the full post-fight press interview with Steven Siler from PFL 4 above.
