\u201cFor sure,\u201d he says, battling what appear to be competing internal thoughts. \u201cSorry, I\u2019m just really happy. But yeah, they\u2019re all going to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silva gradually darkens into what he becomes on fight night throughout the week. Or at least, that\u2019s what his trainer and coach Pablo Sucupira recently told me. Normally a very happy-go-lucky (if slightly mischievous) soul, he gets feisty as the hour nears. By the time he hits the Octagon, he\u2019s worked himself into an emotional froth. He calls that version \u201cLord.\u201d You might see laughter and tears simultaneously, especially when he\u2019s sporting the Fighting Nerds trademark glasses in the post-fight interview.<\/p>\n
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Merking people has a way of getting into your feels, you see.<\/p>\n
In the five UFC fights since Silva broke in on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” he has gone 5-0 with five straight finishes. He commands attention, too. He had the crowd chanting \u201cF*** Brights Meeshell\u201d at the press conference for his last fight, and at times it looked like he was merely toying with Mitchell during their bout before tapping him out with a ninja choke in the second round. After getting that victory he received his third post-fight bonus in a row, which represents a considerable uptick in lifestyle for a guy who grew up without a lot of material possessions in Brazil.<\/p>\n
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Though he speaks but a broken version of English, when asked what he\u2019s been doing with the money he looks at his wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI bought a Rolex GMT,\u201d he says, holding it up. \u201cAnd I bought a Richard Mille, and a Porsche Panama, and gave my wife a car. Oops \u2014 that\u2019s all the money!\u201d<\/p>\n
Looks like he\u2019ll need to keep collecting bonuses if he wants to keep pace with the buying sprees. Saturday night will be his first UFC main event. As a Brazilian fighting on a card celebrating Mexican Independence Day against a Mexican citizen in the heart of Texas, they won\u2019t exactly be toasting him along the ol\u2019 San Antone River.<\/p>\n
Silva, who’s ranked No. 10 in the UFC\u2019s featherweight rankings, is being cast in the role of party-crasher. The No. 2-ranked Lopes \u2014 who wears a cowboy hat and Southwestern ponchos, and sometimes works on his wrestling just up the Red River in Oklahoma \u2014 is the centerpiece of this show. The crowd will be his on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
![\"MIAMI,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/b6dcc780-8ec1-11f0-b77f-345b59e3e349.jpeg\"\/)
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Jean Silva will have his hands full against Diego Lopes (pictured) on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
(Mike Roach via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re going to be on his side,\u201d Silva says in agreement. \u201cMost of the fans are going to be there for him, but it\u2019s pretty cool. It\u2019s going to be incredible.<\/p>\n
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\u201cDespite the fact that I just don’t like him and we don’t get along, he\u2019s a fantastic guy. He is a great fighter. He fought for the title. I mean everyone in the UFC loves him and I just see that the whole world loves him. So he\u2019s got to be a good person, right?\u201d<\/p>\n