Contender Series alum Danny Silva returned to action at UFC Vegas 103, entering the UFC octagon for the second time opposite Lucas Almeida.
Almeida was coming in off a victory over Timmy Cuamba, but had missed weight by two pounds for Saturday’s Fight Night card.
It was Almeida with the clear height advantage, and Silva looking to find his range early in the preliminary card featherweight fight. Silva eventually got inside and put Almeida on the fence, though he could not keep him there. A moment later, it was Silva getting his hands going, landing more than once in a solid combination. Another flurry followed, and by the midway mark, Almeida’s nose was showing some damage.
Throughout the round, Almeida found an opening for his calf kicks, and was able to answer back at times. Silva, however, was more often than not the aggressor, and the shorter man was able to battle his way inside more than once. Almeida had a little burst of offense late, but Silva almost certainly took the round.
Round two found Almeida a little looser, but Silva tagged him to the body, which caught his attention. Moments later, Silva was on the attack, tagging Almeida again. Almeida fired back, but Silva was landing the cleaner shots. Silva’s ability to get inside, land, and fend off counters was key through the first half of the fight. To add a little cherry on top, another strong round for Danny Silva ended with him landing a takedown.
Lucas Almeida fanned on a couple of strikes early in round three, while Silva jabbed his way forward. If nothing else, it was a busier round early for Almeida, who was doing his best to get back into the fight. Silva might have slowed a step, but he was doing enough to force Almeida to retreat from time to time. That was the story almost the entire round, with Almeida likely winning the third. That was enough to earn a 29-28 with one judge, but the other two scored it for Danny Silva, also 29-28, giving him the split decision victory.
Official Result: Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
