Flyweights Bruno Silva and Joshua Van served as the featured preliminary card bout at UFC 316 in Newark, a placement that clearly indicated the promotion’s expectations for the match-up.
Brazil’s Silva was coming off a loss to Manel Kape that had snapped a four-fight winning streak, while Van was 6-1 in the UFC to start the night. The 23-year-old Van, known for his activity level, was attempting to win his fourth consecutive victory in 9 months.
Silva opened with a leg kick that knocked Van off balance. As Silva kept firing low kicks, Van started to time his counters by going to the head with his hands. Two well-timed counter right hands from Van had Silva stunned. The fighter out of Myanmar extended his combination with a short left hook that knocked Silva down. The Brazilian, who was already in deep trouble, attempted a takedown that was easily stuffed by Van. Silva’s best weapons were his leg kicks and he kept firing them, but he had no answer for Van’s speed and timing. Van sent Silva stumbling one more time for good measure right before the buzzer.
In round two, Silva initiated a clinch early in the second round, but Van was able to disengage quite quickly. Silva didn’t know how to handle Van’s speed, so he kept getting tagged as a result. Van’s jab couldn’t miss. A perfect counter on a failed uppercut from Silva knocked the Brazilian down, but after a flurry of ground-and-pound the veteran was able to survive, get up, and get a takedown on Van. The youngster wrestled his way up right away and put the pressure right back on Silva. He took advantage of a wobbled Silva to land a nicely timed knee that put Silva down once more. The Brazilian somehow survived until the buzzer. A clear 10-8 round for the up-and-comer.
Knowing he needed a finish, Silva came out in the final round with two solid body kicks, but they weren’t enough to keep Van off him. A clean right straight, followed by some nice short shots had Silva stunned. But the tough veteran recovered and kept firing back at Van. A failed takedown attempt by Silva appeared to be the last bit of energy he had left. Van gave Silva no breathing room and eventually knocked him down once again, this time for good. Another flurry against a turtling Silva along the fence forced the referee to put a stop to the fight.
Joshua Van, who doesn’t turn 24 until October, earned arguably his best victory yet. This type of performance might just have him break the division’s top10. It will be interesting to see how he will be matched up going forward.
As for Bruno Silva, that is now back-to-back third-round TKO losses for the 35-year-old. Time will tell if “Bulldog” will be able to bounce back and keep his spot as a ranked contender.
Official Result: Josh Van def. Bruno Silva by TKO, Round 3, 4:01
