Da Silva (21-5) will fight Ali Mashrapov (13-11) in a 160lb catchweight affair at the event, which is set to take place on May 20, 2023 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Joining Da Silva vs. Mashrapov at UAE Warriors 42 will be a preliminary card bout featuring Brazil’s Renan Oliveira (8-0), making his promotional debut against the returning Amru Magomedov (5-0) of Russia.

A source familiar with the situation advised Cageside Press of the bookings on Tuesday. The promotion has yet to officially announce the match-ups.

Da Silva made his UAE Warriors debut in his last fight, dropping a split decision to Makkasharip Zaynukov. The Brazilian competed for the UFC from 2019 to 2022, posting a 1-3 record after sharing the cage with the likes of Brad Riddell and Joe Solecki, among others.

Prior to his UFC stint, Alex Da Silva was well-traveled on the regional scene, making stops in Brave CF, SBC, and Aspera FC, posting a 13-0 record in the latter.

Mashrapov will enter the fight having posted a 2-1 record in his last three fights, all of which have come under the WEF banner.

Featherweight Oliveira has previously competed for Jungle Fights, Shooto Brasil, and Future MMA, while Magomedov returns to the promotion after a stop in Eagle FC. The pair meet in a lightweight match-up.

UAE Warriors 42 airs live on UFC Fight Pass on May 20, and is part of a double-header weekend for the promotion, with UAE Warriors 41: Arabia taking place on May 19.

The post UFC Vet Alex da Silva Faces Ali Mashrapov at UAE Warriors 42, Prelim Bout Featuring Unbeaten Prospects Added appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the latest round of cuts (or in some cases, contracts expiring, plus a retirement), Tristan Connelly and TJ Laramie, two Canadian talents, have been removed from the promotion’s active roster. Additionally, Felipe Colares, Louis Smolka, Andreas Michailidis, Alex Da Silva,
Frank Camacho, and Niklas Stolze have been removed, per automated service UFC Roster Watch.

Felice Herrig is also out, though that should come as no surprise — the strawweight veteran announced her retirement this past weekend, after a loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

Smolka (17-9) confirmed his exit from the promotion recently. It’s the second time “Da Last Samurai” has been shown the door by the company, but he’s not letting that get his spirits down.

“I’m kinda excited to test free agency, the MMA landscape is changing a lot and pretty soon it might be like boxing where huge entities are roaming the globe to take each other out,” Smolka wrote on social media in response to the news. “Sounds like it has the potential to be really lucrative to me.”

Tbh I’m kinda excited to test free agency, the MMA landscape is changing a lot and pretty soon it might be like boxing where huge entities are roaming the globe taking each other out. Sounds like it has the potential to be really lucrative to me https://t.co/zrvTZR1gPF

— Louis Smolka (@LouisSmolkaMMA) June 7, 2022

Connelly (14-8) came into the UFC on a high, defeating Michel Pereira in an upset at welterweight at UFC Vancouver in 2019. After an extended layoff, he moved to featherweight to face Pat Sabatini last year, coming up short. Following another year on the sidelines, he returned this past April, losing a decision against Darren Elkins.

Laramie (12-5), a Contender Series winner in 2020, was unable to pick up a win inside the octagon, losing both of his fights. The Windsor, Ontario native also suffered a loss against Sabatini, after losing his promotional debut to Darrick Minner.

Niklas Stolze fought this past weekend, and told Cageside Press going into the fight that he knew his back was against the wall. Alex Da Silva fought and lost on the very same card, falling to 1-3 through four UFC fights.

The post Nine Fighters Removed from UFC Roster, Including Two Canadians appeared first on Cageside Press.

“That’s a tough guy. A well-rounded guy. Very explosive, very dangerous through the entire fight. I really thought I had him finished in the second. He probably grabbed my gloves 7 or 8 times so that got tough. The ref did an awesome job. I really, really appreciate him actually being on top of the action. I’ve been a back-taker for a long time, and I’m no stranger to guys grabbing my gloves. You call it out and they (refs) don’t say anything. I had to call it out a couple times, but ultimately he took a point which was the right thing to do,” Solecki told reporters in his post-fight scrum.

Following the bout da Silva walked around the octagon with hands raised, dancing, and celebrating what he thought was a win while Solecki stood on the side of the cage waiting for the decision.

“I wasn’t parading around holding my hands up. Not because I didn’t think we got it. I popped my rib out on kind of a failed takedown in the third. I just wanted to hold myself up against the fence and let the judges do their thing. I’m going to do my work and wait for the result,” he said.

“I’m proud of the performance it was tough. This was a grind, but I’m proud of that.”

Solecki has been known to enter grappling events having competed against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone recently and at ADCC trials. The game plan for this fight? Compete.

“Compete. I can’t be lackadaisical in any position. The only spot I think I was, was on my back in closed guard in the third. In the first I think it was a smart thing because I had got dropped. I was going for submissions I was not being content. In third a little content, but we got back up and I started slinging again. It was competing for every single position can’t be complacent, can’t be lackadaisical,” Solecki said.

“When I did that I think it was ultimately the difference.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 56 post-fight media scrum with Joe Solecki above.

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Solecki had dropped a split decision to Jared Gordon back in October, while da Silva had fallen to Brad Riddell in September of 2020 — and had not competed since.

It didn’t take long for Alex da Silva to strike one Saturday. Within 30 seconds, he had dropped Solecki care of a left hook, then moved in and got on top. With the fighters dry, the Brazilian had plenty of time to work. That nearly backfired, as later in the round, Solecki would catch da Silva’s neck, squeezing hard on a guillotine. da Silva eventually pulled out, and went back to work on top.

In round two, Joe Solecki went right after a takedown, and when he got da Silva to the ground, he quickly took the back. With both hooks in, Solecki worked to slip his right arm under the neck. da Silva fought hands, and latched on a body triangle. Solecki spent plenty of time working on the rear-naked choke, softening da Silva up with punches. The Brazilian was warned for sticking his toes in the fence, and could be seen grabbing Solecki’s gloves, a foul that went unnoticed by the ref. Both offences prevented Solecki from taking the fight where he wanted it — and the ref then announced he was taking a point, without halting the action as Solecki was in the driver’s seat.

Thanks to the point deduction, da Silva entered round three with his corner urging him to find a finish. And for the first two minutes, they fought at range, affording da Silva the opportunity to look for a knockout. He couldn’t find it, however, and Solecki then landed a takedown. That ate up some block, but when they got back up, da Silva still had time to work. And the next time they went down, it was da Silva on top, working from inside Solecki’s guard. He landed a couple smashing elbows from the top, then backed up, waved Solecki to his feet, but kicked his leg anyway.

They would face off on the feet in the final minute, with da Silva landed a solid right hand. He mixed in a leg kick, and both men landed several heavy blows. Alex da Silva would raise his hands at the horn, but that wouldn’t sway the judges. Instead, Solecki took the majority decision win.

Official Result: Joe Solecki def. Alex da Silva by majority decision (28-28, 28-27, 29-27)

The post UFC Vegas 56: Point Deduction Leads to Majority Decision in Joe Solecki vs. Alex da Silva appeared first on Cageside Press.

Speaking with James Lynch, Smith confirmed earlier this year that he would indeed be featured on the Fight Night card. The event is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov.

The card and associated bouts have yet to be officially announced by the promotion.

Smith (10-2) has been out of action well over a year due to a torn Achilles tendon. “King Kage” last competed at UFC 241 in 2019, losing via TKO to Khama Worthy.

The 27-year old won his way into the UFC in 2018 on what was then known as Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Smith stopped Joseph Lowry with elbows within a round to earn a UFC deal. He would win his first two bouts inside the octagon, stopping both Julian Erosa and Dong Hyun Ma.

Da Silva (21-3) has posted a 1-2 mark inside the octagon just far. Despite an impressive amount of experience for a 24-year old, the Brazilian has struggled in bouts with Alexander Yakovlev and Brad Riddell. His lone win under the UFC banner came against Rodrigo Vargas in August of 2019. Da Silva won the bout via unanimous decision.

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After two straight wars inside the octagon, City Kickboxing’s Brad Riddell was back at UFC 253. In the featured preliminary bout just prior to the PPV portion of the card, Riddell went up against Brazilian Alex da Silva.

Da Silva had the experience edge, but was just 1-1 in the octagon to start the night. Riddell landed the first strike of the night with a kick to the body, but da Silva responded with a beautiful combination. Da Silva connected with a few jabs before landing a takedown. He continued the pressure, sticking to Riddell, who slowly got to his feet against the cage with his back still clinched.

Da Silva was able to drag Riddell back down to the ground, but only for a few seconds as he exploaded back to his feet. A nice reverse from Riddell found him in dominant position against the cage on da Silva, and they soon separated. A takedown attempt from Riddell landed him in a guillotine attempt from Da Silva, which he survived to end the round.

The second round began with a leg kick from Riddell and Da Silva responding with a front kick to the body. Da Silva pressed against Riddell by the cage before dropping to a takedown attempt, which failed. The pair separated and began exchanging some nice shots near the center of the Octagon.

Some uppercuts from Riddell landed, which he later followed up with a few to the body. Riddell failed on a trip takedown and landed a nice right hand soon after. Riddell continued to put the pressure on with his strikes, but da Silva was caught during his flying knee attempt and briefly taken down before getting back to his feet. A nice body shot for da Silva connected, followed by a failed takedown attempt. A very nice combination landed for Riddell just before the end of the round.

The third and final round began with an embrace from both men, before Riddell pressured forward with some nice shots to the body. Two nice right hands landed for da Silva, and Riddell responded with a beautiful counter elbow. Riddell pulled off a nice counter throw to take da Silva down off his own takedown attempt, and they quickly got back to the feet. Da Silva obtained a back clinch and landed some knees to end the round.

Official Result: Brad Riddell def. Alex da Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Rodrigo Vargas made his promotional debut at UFC Uruguay, following a three-fight run in Combate. He went 2-1 in Combate, winning his last two bouts. In his most recent fight, in May of last year, the 33-year-old Mexican defeated UFC veteran Mike De La Torre with a head kick knockout 18-seconds into the bout. Vargas stepped-in on short-notice in Montevideo, taking the place of injured Rafael Fiziev.

Vargas’ opponent, Alex da Silva, fought for the second time under the UFC banner in Montevideo. Da Silva made his UFC debut on short-notice in April, losing to promotional veteran Alexander Yakovlev via submission in the second round. The Brazilian was 20-2 in his professional MMA career ahead of UFC Uruguay, but had gone 2-2 in his last four fights.

Both fighters came out throwing heavy strikes in the opening seconds. Da Silva decided that wasn’t a great idea, and got the fight to the ground. The Brazilian held top-control, and eventually took the back of Vargas as the fight moved to the cage. With both hooks in, Vargas fought the hands of da Silva, but da Silva stayed in control for the opening minutes of the fight.

The final minutes of round one were more of the same, as the da Silva controlled the back of Vargas, while failing to do much damage or threaten with a submission attempt. Vargas was able to reverse position in the final seconds of the round, but was likely down on the scorecards after the first five minutes.

Vargas landed the first strike of note early in round two, landing a front kick to the face of da Silva. Da Silva was able to respond with some solid punches of his own, before Vargas shot a takedown attempt that would end up with da Silva in top position on the ground. Da Silva landed a few solid shots while taking the back of Vargas, and eventually ended up in full guard at the midway point of round two. Once again, da Silva out-grappled Vargas throughout the final minutes, and was in control through two rounds in Montevideo.

Vargas needed a finish in round three, and was able to keep the fight on the feet and throw some head kicks and heavy punches, none of which landed in the opening minutes. After a flurry, da Silva was able to successfully get the fight back to the ground with three minutes left in the bout. The end of round three was the same as the previous two rounds, as da Silva tallied double-digit minutes in top position, ending the fight in top control.

Result: Alex da Silva def. Rodrigo Vargas by unanimous decision (30-27×3)

Check out all of the results from UFC Uruguay here!

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The UFC is coming to Montevideo, Uruguay on August 10. The card is now filled out, but has taken many hits. So far, there have been five canceled fights. One of those left behind being Rafael Fiziev, who was set to fight Alex da Silva. Now, Silva will take on Mexico’s Rodrigo Vargas.

“Kazula”
5’7″
Lightweight
33-years-old
Mexico City, Mexico
Mexican Pride Gym
11-2
7 KO/TKO
3 Submissions (2 Guillotines, 1 Armbar)

How will Vargas fare in the UFC:

The UFC started off the year with strong, deserving signings but lately there have been some question marks. Vargas has some heavy hands, but lacks combinations and output in general. His best weapon is probably his wrestling but he has problems with control, and his grappling isn’t where it should be. His cardio has been found lacking in past fights as well, and being already 33-years-old these flaws won’t see him fare well against top competition. If he doesn’t end it early in the first, you may very well see him struggling.

Here’s our report card on Vargas:

• Striking: C
• Kickboxing: C+
• Clinch: C+
• Wrestling: C+
• Grappling: D+
• Striking Defense: C+
• Takedown Defense: D
• Cardio: C-

How he matches up with Da Silva:

Silva has ten more fights than Vargas and is ten years younger as well. He didn’t look great in his debut but lost to a better fighter in Alexander Yakovlev. Da Silva is just better everywhere, on the feet and on the mat. His cardio like Vargas isn’t too great, so it could be closer in the later rounds. Da Silva is a good striker with good combinations and good power. The smart pick is Alex Da Silva. It will also be interesting to see if Vargas can make a quick turnaround, with UFC Mexico City going down in September.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Rodrigo Vargas appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alexander Yakovlev was originally set to fight Teemu Packalen at UFC St. Petersburg, but the debuting Alex da Silva will face him instead. Yakovlev had a very tough Octagon debut on short-notice against Demian Maia. After falling in that fight and his next, the Russian won two straight fights before running into current champion Kamaru Usman, who defeated him soundly. Yakovlev is looking to bounce back from an armbar loss to Zak Cummings back in 2016.

Alex da Silva is a young 23-years-old making his promotional debut at UFC St. Petersburg. Da Silva won the first 18 fights in his career before a loss in 2017. “Leko” has won his last two fights ahead of his debut. On top of his 20-1 record, he has finished all of his opponents with 13 striking stoppages and seven submissions.

The first round was a fun, grapple-heavy round. Alex da Silva looked very comfortable on the feet early, and Alexander Yakovlev looked to clinch and grapple with him. Da Silva turned the tables and got a big slam takedown on Yakovlev and looked to get his back. Yakovlev turned to his back and eventually looked to grab a leg which he used to get back to his feet. The two then stayed in the clinched for the duration of the round. Close round, but we gave it to da Silva.

CagesidePress Scores Round One 10-9 for Alex da Silva

Round two began with Yakovlev slipping and da Silva jumping on top in the guard. He then looked to get an arm-triangle, but as he got into side control, Yakovlev got out and tried to scramble into a takedown. As he did so, da Silva looked for a guillotine, but Yakovlev got a massive slam takedown. Yakovlev then began looking for a choke and got a guillotine choke up against the fence, and got the tap.

Extremely fun fight, and a good comeback performance by Yakovlev after being out of the sport for three years.

Alexander Yakovlev def. Alex da Silva by Submission (Guillotine) in Round 2 (3:10)

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On September 15 of last year, the UFC came to Russia for the first time in the promotion’s history and it was an instant success despite many injuries to the card. Now on April 20, the UFC is coming to St. Petersburg, Russia. In a lightweight bout, Alexander Yakovlev was supposed to fight Teemu Packalén but Packalén pulled out due to injury. With that in mind, the UFC went to Brazil and signed 21-fight veteran Alex da Silva.

5’7″
Lightweight
23-years-old
Balneario Camboriu, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Astra Fight Team
20-1
13 KO/TKO
7 Submissions (4 Rear-Naked Chokes, Armbar, Triangle, Guillotine)

How Will Alex da Silva Fare in the UFC:

“Leko” has an impressive record of 20-1. With that said, his first 16 opponents had a combined record of 17-28. Six of his opponents were making their debut against Silva. On the feet, Silva hits hard and that’s with a few one-punch knockouts, head kicks, and hard lead-leg kicks. He has legit power in his hands and has slick combinations but he tends to slow as he takes a while to reach the target. His cardio isn’t bad but his hand speed does drop significantly as the fight goes on. Silva likes to stay on the feet but he does have some decent wrestling to fall back on. He’s better on top because he does have four rear-naked chokes. I don’t think his wrestling nor his ground game is top notch but will work against lesser competition. Leko does have problems with his takedown defense shown in his fights against decent (not good) competition. He does well off his back but it’s nothing a solid fighter will worry about.

• Striking: B-
• Kickboxing: A-
• Clinch: D
• Wrestling: C
• Grappling: C+
• Striking Defense: C
• Takedown Defense: D-
• Cardio: C
• Biggest Strength: Leg kicks
• Biggest Weakness: Takedown Defense

How he Matches Up with Alexander Yakovlev:

Yakovlev hasn’t fought in over two years and is currently on a two-fight skid. To his credit, that is to Zak Cummings and welterweight champ, Kamaru Usman. On the feet, they both like to kick but Silva should be better in that area. Yakovlev, though, is a long fighter and has a pretty good size advantage on Silva so he could stay on the outside. With his size advantage, Yakovlev should be able to utilize his wrestling as he has in the past. Yakovlev has fought guys like Cummings, Usman, Demian Maia, Gray Maynard, and Paul Daley so his competition has been much better. Yakovlev isn’t a top-tier guy but he matches up well with Alex da Silva.

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