Fight camp has been going well for PFL light heavyweight Josh Silveira, ahead of his return at PFL 4 against Delan Monte.
If you can call it a fight camp, that is.
“It’s kind of hard to call it camp, there’s like a camp every two months. The season’s going well I guess,” Silveira (10-1) told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “Happy to be here, happy to be healthy, happy to have six points.”
The PFL schedule certainly keeps the promotion’s fighters busy. Compete for the PFL, and you’re just about certain to get two fights a year, with three or four a very real possibility. That kind of activty is something Silveira, for one, is down with.
“I think it could be a blessing or it could be a nightmare, depending on the situation. Because there’s some fighters that have a hard time finding fights. All they want to do is get a fight. And here at the PFL we’re cranking them out, you could fight two to four times in a year. So I enjoy it,” said Silveira, who is used to the busy schedule wrestling afforded him in college. “The little two months in between, it hits the spot perfect, where I get some rest time and then I go get a win. A win, especially nowadays in MMA, it could push your career in a very good direction. Especially with a company like PFL and any of these other big shows. One win does make a huge difference.”
One win made a huge difference for Silveira earlier this year, as a first-round submission of Sam Kei earned the American Top Team light heavyweight six points in the season standings. A loss last season, meanwhile, against teammate Omari Akhmedov also made a huge difference for Josh Silveira.
“The opportunity is a lot more alive right now than versus last year. Last year I think I was just happy to be part of the show; I think this year I’m really trying to take over,” Silveira stated. “And I think that just comes with maturity, I think that comes with the loss, whether you lose in the gym or you lose in Madison Square Garden.”
Last year was a “good experience, but bittersweet,” added Silveira. “I’ve moved on from it. I’m a fighter ready to put myself in the same position I was in last year. So here we are.”
Silveira gets a familiar face in Delan Monte at PFL 4, which he will enter in second place in the weight class, just behind Marthin Hamlet (2022 champ Rob Wilkinson is now out for the season, following a failed drug test).
“I like Delan, he’s a cool guy. Me and him, we’re pretty close acquaintances, I would say. We’re friends. We trained together when I was an amateur back in Arizona, after I graduated,” Silveira explained. “He was like 2-0, 3-0, he came from Brazil to help out Ryan Bader and train a little bit; we were training under a coach from Brazil that Bader flew in. It’s kind of crazy how I’m fighting him now when I was training with him when I was 21, 22 years old. This is seven years later, eight years later.”
Silveira was careful to note he’s not judging Monte from those past training sessions. “I barely even remember how the sparring went. But I’ve seen how he fights now and I just know myself, I know my team, I know my gym. I’m just a tough fight for anyone.” At the end of the day, added Silveira, “it’s going to come down to IQ, and I think I’m just going to make better choices. Especially, he has zero points so I’m expecting him to come out pretty heavy in the first round. But this is a fight, it’s MMA, so I’m ready for anything. I think it’s just going to come down to a better gas tank, better decision making, and just capturing the moment when it’s come to finish.”
Watch our full interview with PFL 4 light heavyweight Josh Silveira above.
