Josh Silveira had an incredible 2021, and hopes to have another great year wherever he lands.
Silveira’s name wasn’t on a ton of end-of-the-year lists for a potential Fighter of the Year. It’s understandable because the 29-year old isn’t in a major organization yet, but he had a killer year nonetheless.
He started his year off with two first-round submission wins over Matt Paul and Rafael Viana, only three months apart. His next victory would be a big one as he would claim the vacant LFA Light Heavyweight Championship when he knocked Tee Cummins out in 49 seconds with a nasty head kick.
𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙝 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙖 wins by devastating head-kick KO! #AndNew #LFA115
[ @LFAfighting | Replay Available| on #UFCFIGHTPASS ] pic.twitter.com/2N9pU6MbK7
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 25, 2021
Three months later, he dropped to middleweight to challenge Jared Revel for the vacant LFA Middleweight Championship and won a unanimous decision to become the second fighter to ever hold two LFA belts simultaneously.
“It’s funny because after it was all said and done, when I do look back, I’m very happy with myself and very content with how things went — the process, the ups and downs. But in the gist of it, while I was going through it, fighting every two to three months, it felt like it was where I needed to be. I’m very happy with myself but these decisions were made a very long time ago between my team and my dad. I can’t wait for this year,” Silveira told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview.
Silveira enjoyed winning the second belt the most between his two title fight victories, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t really enjoy getting a highlight head kick knockout.
“The head kick was cool, man. I don’t really know what’s going to happen in my fights. I know what I’m capable of, but a fight is a fight. The head kick was definitely cool because I come from a grappling background. But I think when I won that second title, from my perspective, fighting five rounds was such a high,” Silveira said. “I know that very few people on this planet even put themselves in that position. It’s a scary thought, you know, getting tired. I guess winning that second title really, put the bow on everything… When I won the second title, it finally was a great breather, and I think it was the end of a great chapter of the book I’m writing. I felt like the second title was very emotional, and I finally got to relax; four fights in a year is a lot.”
As for what is next for the LFA champ champ, he sees three options. The UFC, Bellator, and PFL. All three of them have big positives to Silveira. PFL has a million-dollar prize, Bellator has a nice contract, and the UFC has the prestige.
“People say Bellator pays very well for some blue-chip prospect fighters. The UFC has great representation. You go to the UFC; everyone knows who you are. PFL has the million dollar tournament; who doesn’t want a million dollars, you know? PFL also has a season. So I think you have to take all of that into consideration and see what fits for me. I feel like whatever fits my team will fit for me,” Silveira said.
“I don’t want a false sense of confidence. I love my friends, but they will send me to fight the baddest man on the planet, even if I’m not ready. They just want to see me in the highest state possible. But there is a price to pay for that stuff. If you want to make it to the top, you got to make sure you’re ready. There are some things I still got to work on, so I don’t want to make decisions that will cost me in the end. A lot of guys in this position would have already been a phone call for a short-notice fight. That isn’t always the best thing for your career. So we just got to sit back, and we will be seeing some news next week.”
Watch the rest of our interview with LFA double champ Josh Silveira above.
