LAS VEGAS – Jean Silva isn’t done, and he doesn’t think the Fighting Nerds are either.

It was difficult, emotional, spiritual, and maddening, but Silva (16-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) said ahead of UFC 324, the promotion’s 2026 kickoff event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, he and his team are ready to make an impactful return after a slump.

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“We went back,” Silva told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter Wednesday at UFC 324 media day. “(It was) a lot of suffering, a lot of talking, a lot of pain to share some things. Because you can’t go back into this. You can’t get back into the path. It’s such a dream we’ve had our entire lives that we’ve worked so hard for. That pain and suffering in our chest, we need to get over that. I had a lot of conversations and you can be sure the Nerds didn’t stop. We didn’t budge a bit. We kept going. We kept training. We kept working. Now, we’re ready for the next challenge.”

“… The Nerds, we know the expectations that are around the Nerds and what people think and the trust. The UFC has our glasses and T-shirts with our names on it. So we know there are expectations. The UFC puts a value on us, you can be sure of that. We let some of the unifying denominator we had, that union that was kind of lost around the way, we found ourselves again. You can be sure we found ourselves again. We’re working toward it. We talked it over where we’re continuing to work. It’s going to be together as a team, as a family, we’ll be back doing the thing we love the most.”

The Fighting Nerds exploded in 2024 and quickly became one of MMA’s most successful and popular teams. But then, the losses began to pile up. Silva, Carlos Prates, Mauricio Ruffy, and Caio Borralho, three fighters who had shot up their respective divisional ladders, all suffered losses.

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The critics came out in full force. But Silva only listened to the ones that mattered, which is a mindset he’s keeping as he enters his UFC 324 battle vs. Arnold Allen.

“I lost. What else can I say?” Silva said. “I learned I need to listen to my corner advice. I’m pretty sure all of you know this at this point.”

Fight fans have watched his opponent Allen (20-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) grow up in front of their eyes. A top prospect has become a perennial contender and a tough out for any opposition in a loaded featherweight division.

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Despite Allen’s talent, Silva radiated confidence about the matchup – and where he thinks he’ll go thereafter.

“He’s lost to a lot of people, former champions and title contenders, and he’s going to lose to the next champion,” Silva said. “… It’s not going to be a win over him that’s actually going to propel for a championship or a title shot. It’s the way I conduct business. It’s the way I have this personality. Listen, who else barks in the octagon? That speaks for itself.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Return of the Nerds: Jean Silva proclaims future UFC champ status