Kerry Hatley is the referee. Opposing stances here, and Silva
pressures behind a combo. Puelees fires off a jab. Puelles gets a
leg, elevates Silva and slams him down. Puelles goes right into
half guard. Silva looks to hold Puelles close to limit offensive
opportunities. Puelles wants to free his other leg but can’t quite
do it. The Peruvian remains heavy on top though, landing occasional
shots from above. Silva has recovered full guard. Puelles is doing
his best to find openings for ground-and-pound. Puelles stands and
increases the intensity of his punches. Silva hunts for a leg and
Puelles scrambles to the back. Silva gets to the fence, where he’s
on one knee. Silva stands but Puelles is still on his back. Silva
tries to break the grip of his opponent but time is running out.
Puelles knees the thighs, then slams Silva in the waning seconds.
The Brazilian stands but can’t free himself as the horn sounds. Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Puelles Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Puelles Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Puelles

Silva pressures behind punches, but it is Puelles who counters
effectively. It only takes 15 seconds before Puelles is able to
ground Silva. The Peru native is in side control near the fence.
Silva is trying to work to his feet, and he is able to get back to
range. the Brazilian lands a combination, but Puelles answers with
a head kick. Silva digs some hooks to the body. Silva blocks a high
kick. Silva pressures behind a front kick. The Brazilian lands a
leg kick. Puelles lands a body kick. Silva has a head kick blocked.
Puelles continues to throw high kicks, but Silva’s defense has been
on point. Silva sprawls on a shot. Silva lands an inside leg kick.
Puelles with a body kick that hits Silva’s arm. Puelles continues
to target the head. A front kick to the body hurts Puelles, who
shoots out of desperation. Silva defends and urges his foe back up.
Puelles shoots again, and Silva pushes the head down. Puelles
stands, still holding on to the leg. Silva jumps for a guillotine
in the rinal seconds of the round, but Puelles survives. Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Silva Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Silva

A Puelles left counters a body kick. They trade hooks, but Puelles
lands heavier. Puelles changes levels and gets Silva down near the
fence. Silva stands while working to separate the hands. They break
and Puelles lands a left before shooting once again. Puelles lands
a knee in the clinch before lifting and spinning Silva. Silva works
doggedly to fight the hands. Not much is happening, but Puelles
executes a mat return to avoid a standup. Silva turns, lands a knee
and they separate. A straight left gets throuhg for Puelles. Silva
leaps in with a knee. Puelles circles away while shaking his head.
A straight left from Puelles makes Silva’s legs wobble. Puelles
shoots and Silva sprawls near the fence. Silva pushes the head down
and Puelles pushes his man into the wire. Silva hunts for a
guillotine and he lands some knees to the head. They break free and
Silva lands a heavy combination at range, but he also eats a left.
Silva stuffs a takedown. They trade again late and Silva drops
Puelles with a late combination. Silva dives into top position and
lands some ground-and-pound. Puelles seems to have recovered, but
it’s not a good visual for the Peruvian at the end of the fight. Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Silva) Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Silva) Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Silva)

Despite a name of “Netto BJJ,” Silva (13-4, 6-4 UFC) has not landed
a submission in over a decade and would vastly prefer to throw
hands. He draws a willing and able dance partner in Klose (14-2-1,
8-2 UFC), a technical brawler who has very quietly and slowly
pieced together a solid 8-2 run since joining the organization in
2017. The lightweight punchers meet in the middle as referee Marc
Goddard commences the match, with no interest in tapping gloves.
Silva gets off first with a body kick, and a second one bounces
into the cup. Silva apologizes as Klose protests, and Goddard
pauses the action. After less than 30 seconds, they return to
action. Klose pushes the pace, stomping down ta the knee and
letting go of his own body kick. The two hand-fight, and Klose
blocks a head kick as Silva skirts on the outer edge of the cage.
Klose just misses a right hand, and he walks through a body kick to
deliver one on the dome. They clinch up, but Klose pushes off to
get out of the tie-up. Klose goes high with a kick again, and Silva
kicks low. Klose continues to plod forward, scoring a low kick as
he looks for an uppercut. Klose blocks a high body kick and dodges
a looping left hand, and he crowds Silva against the cage without
throwing much. Klose grabs the wrist and lands a right hand with
his free hand, and Silva protests but it is a legal thing to do. A
solid right hand from Klose finds its home on the jaw, and Silva
wears it well but it got his attention. Klose scores another long
right hand, and he strings to after it to press ahead. Klose digs a
knee to the body and rips a right hand from up close, and Silva’s
chin is holding up but it might not be able to stand up to many
more like that. Klose sneaks in another right, and Silva tries to
back him off with body kick. Klose drives two punches to the head
and several knees to the body, and he squeezes the Brazilian
against the cage before separating with an elbow on the break. The
horn sounds with them at open space. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Klose Christian Stein scores the round: 10-9 Klose Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Klose

Klose comes out of his corner, blocks a head kick and immediately
presses forward. Klose lands a body kick as he backs Silva off, and
he connects with two hooks after absorbing a body shot. Klose
stomps the feet hard when they are clinched up against the fence,
and Silva knees him hard to the belly before turning him around.
Klose spins him back and spams short knees, and the crowd grows
restless in this stalemate position. Klose considers a takedown,
and Silva lowers his hips to shut it down. Klose grinds and lands
knees, and they trade uppercuts on the inside. Klose breaks off and
backs away, and Silva connects with a solid left hand that makes
Klose take a funny step back. Klose gathers his thoughts and shoots
for a takedown, and he manages to circle around to take Silva’s
back standing. Silva turns himself about, and Klose pins him to the
wire. Silva tries for a single, but Klose shuts it down and gains a
little space. Klose lands a left hand and ends up plowing forward,
re-engaging in the clinch. As they remain tied up, Klose’s eyebrow
swells up from the big left hand landed earlier. Klose uses his
knees to work the body until the tepid round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Klose Christian Stein scores the round: 10-9 Klose Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Klose

The lightweights meander towards one another to start the last
round, and Klose tries a hook kick to keep things spicy. Silva
ignores it and tries to throw back big punches, but Klose slips to
the side. Silva slaps a few low kicks on the inside and out, and he
has a right hand roll over the shoulder. Silva loads up on two
hooks, and these two find their intended target. Klose slings low
kicks to back Silva away, and Silva catches him with another right
hand. Silva just misses a left hook, and Klose jumps in and out to
trade. Klose snaps the head back with a straight right hand, and
Silva aims a right hand to the midsection in response. Both men aim
single strikes at one another, and Silva comes up short on two
looping shots. Klose flicks out a jab and lands a low kick, and
Silva bears down on him with his right hand coiled up and ready to
strike. Silva wings a left hand, and Klose rushes at him for a
possible level change. Silva jumps guard with a guillotine choke,
and Klose unexpectedly throws himself to his back, allowing Silva
to be in mount on top of him with the submission locked. Klose
slithers his way out of the danger, and they both climb back to
their feet and start slugging. Silva jacks Klose’s jaw, sending the
American face-first to the mat, and he leaps after him in search of
another guillotine choke. Klose escapes again, and he fights back
to his feet. The two trade again, and Klose pursues a takedown only
to get stuck in a 50/50 position with their elbows linked. They
rise to their feet once more, and Klose presses hard in the clinch,
and Silva turns him around as they are up close and personal. Klose
pushes off and spins with a kick to the body right before the bell,
ending an unusual fight. This very well could spell Brazil's first
loss of the night, as Brazilian fighters went 4-0 up to this
point. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Klose) Christian Stein scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Klose) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Klose)

They keep the line moving with a lightweight feature between Silva
(12-4, 5-4 UFC) and the venerable Guida (38-23, 18-17 UFC), a man
who has spent more than 6,000 days on the UFC roster. Smith
supplies the law and order once the Octagon door closes. Guida
circles frenetically on the outside, presses forward behind his
jab, mixes in an inside leg kick and dives at the hips. Silva
dodges his efforts, stays composed and looks for openings. A jab
gets Guida’s attention. Guida’s punches are coming up short. Silva
sneaks in a leg kick and a short left hook. Guida continues to
swing at air, occasionally hitting the Brazilian’s arms. Guida
knocks him off-balance with a hook. Silva staggers Guida with an
uppercut, sprawls on a takedown and unleashes a hellacious barrage
of punches. Guida stands and eats two elbows over the top. “The
Carpenter” in survival mode with 30 seconds to go. Guida scores a
takedown in the closing seconds. Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Silva Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Silva

Guida moves forward behind punches. He still has not figured out
the range. Silva’s defense on point, too. Guida lands a body kick,
then dumps the Brazilian to the floor. Silva gets back to his feet
immediately and bites down on a guillotine. The choke fails but
allows Silva to move into side control. Guida stands, eats hooks to
the body and two knees to the head. He back up Silva with an
overhand right. The man just does not go away. Guida shoots on
another takedown, wanders into a guillotine and breaks free. The
crowd roars its approval. Guida works knees to the legs of the
kneeling Brazilian. Silva gets back to his feet along the fence and
clings to a whizzer to prevent another takedown. Guida stays on the
hips with 90 seconds to go in the round. He shifts his weight and
works into a takedown, but Silva rises to his feet almost
immediately. Guida back on the hips and executes another takedown.
Silva gets back up and absorbs a few more knees to the thigh. With
10 seconds left, this looks like a patented Guida round. Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Guida Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Guida Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Guida

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Silva) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Silva) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Silva (29-28 Silva)

Two teammates from American Top Team will throw down in the co-main
event, in what is currently the largest betting disparity of the
night. Registering anywhere from -1000 to -1400 tonight, Tsarukyan
(19-3, 6-2 UFC) is widely expected to dispose of Brazil’s Silva
(12-3, 5-3 UFC), who comes back all the way up to +800 on some
books. Whether “Netto BJJ” can secure the massive upset or the
Russian will hold serve, referee Keith Peterson is going to be
paying close attention and keeping any nonsense at bay. The gloves
are touched by the lightweights, and Tsarukyan advances and reaches
out a head kick. Silva dodges back and strafes, but Tsarukyan
chases after him with a high kick and then one to the body. When
Silva responds with a kick, Tsarukyan catches it and secures an
easy takedown. As the Brazilian closes up his guard, Tsarukyan
comfortably resides in top position and softens Silva up with light
punches to the side. Silva tries to post off an arm, but Tsarukyan
sees it and rips him back down to the floor. Tsarukyan maintains
smothering top pressure, keeping Silva trapped with his neck
between the floor and the wall, and he drives down an elbow on the
nose. Silva explodes back to his knee, and Tsarukyan lets him do
this so he can take the back. Silva sits back down with Tsarukyan’s
arms clutched around his waist, and Tsarukyan steps over to get a
hook in. Tsarukyan holds on like a backpack when Silva tries to
stand, and his weight frustrates in keeping Silva grounded.
Tsarukyan wrenches his man slowly back to the floor, and he drags
Silva around to take the back. Silva scrambles to the side, and he
is again caught by Tsarukyan and gets smashed with a huge elbow and
a legal knee that Tsarukyan drives into Silva’s chest. The grinding
round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Tsarukyan Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Tsarukyan Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Tsarukyan

The lightweights again touch gloves before getting to it, and
Tsarukyan leads the dance with twin body kicks. Silva looks to
counter, and Tsarukyan is so far out of the way he ends up bouncing
back to the wall. Tsarukyan adds up more body kicks, and he strings
it into combinations with right hands. Silva absorbs an elbow and
fires back with an overhand right, surprising his training partner.
It does not take long for Tsarukyan to give it back in spades,
closing the distance with an elbow and a right hand. Tsarukyan
releases the clinch grip to get back to boxing range, and the two
both trade heavy punches. Silva ducks into a knee, and he absorbs a
quick body kick that slides under his guard. When Silva goes to the
body, Tsarukyan closes in and elbows him before backing off.
Tsarukyan aims a right hand to the chest, and he swats away a front
kick. Silva swings too hard, and Tsarukyan grabs him, but the
Russian lets him go to get back to trading. Tsarukyan steps in with
a vicious right hand, and Silva eats it and backs away to get
cracked with an axe kick. Tsarukyan bears down on him with punches,
and Silva backs up to the wall and delivers a knee to the chest.
Tsarukyan backs away to measure his opponent, and he bursts forward
with a one-two. Tsarukyan intercepts Silva with a body kick, and a
right hand over the top makes Silva backpedal. Tsarukyan secures an
uppercut and an overhand right, and Silva swings back with every
ounce of his energy and cracks Tsarukyan on the temple with a left
hand. “Ahalkalakets” is in the danger zone suddenly, and he shoots
in for a takedown desperately to preserve his chin. Tsarukyan gets
the takedown he seeks, and he plants Silva flat on his back.
Tsarukyan elbows Silva a few times as he appears to have gathered
his thoughts, and the round ends with Silva pursuing a shoulder
lock. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Tsarukyan Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Tsarukyan Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Tsarukyan

There is one final glove touch to begin the final stanza, and
Tsarukyan is amped up and chases Silva around with several body
kick. When Tsarukyan pursues an axe kick, Silva counters with
looping hooks. Tsarukyan punches his way to close proximity,
avoiding an elbow on the way forward, and he hunts for a body lock
and slings Silva to the canvas. Tsarukyan pushes over to half guard
with an arm-triangle setup, and he steps over while Silva scoots
himself to the fence. Tsarukyan tugs him back down when Silva
attempts to stand, and he drops down short but effective left hands
when in this position. Tsarukyan starts to embrace the grind, and
Silva bursts out of the position and moves to a knee. Tsarukyan
holds on, but Silva muscles him back and pushes him away. Tsarukyan
lines up a one-two that misses, and he spins with a back kick and
aims a left hand that swings to the side. Tsarukyan masterfully dumps Silva right on his head, and he jumps
right into half guard and starts overwhelming Silva with
mean-spirited elbows and punches. Silva manages to survive the
blows, but he turns to his side and keeps moving to show he is
still in the fight. Peterson is watching closely, and Tsarukyan
hammers Silva with everything he has left. Peterson
gives Silva every opportunity to get up and recover his position,
but Tsarukyan is not about to let this go to the scorecards.
Tsarukyan continues his final bombardment, and Peterson sees that
Silva is no longer defending himself intelligently and waves the
fight off. Tsarukyan gets the finish he was looking for, and he
survived a bit of adversity to achieve it as well. In victory, the
Russian calls for an opportunity to face champ Islam Makhachev
again, and if not the champion, then Michael Chandler, who could be
in need of an opponent if Chandler does not meet Conor
McGregor.

The prelims roll on with a lightweight affair that could end up as
a pink slip derby for the losing party. Silva (11-3, 4-3 UFC),
making his eighth appearance in his seventh year on the roster,
will try to hand Ronson (21-11, 1 NC; 0-4, 1 NC UFC) his fifth
defeat as a UFC fighter. Of note, John Alessio is the lone fighter
to go 0-5 with the promotion without ever earning a win, as Ronson
lost a 2020 victory by failing his post-fight drug test. Whether
history is made or not, referee Keith Peterson has the best seat in
the house for 155-pound action, and nonsense is nowhere to be found
in the building. The two show a sign of respect in the form of a
glove touch, and Silva claims the center of the cage to initiate.
The Brazilian tosses out a low kick as Ronson responds with a side
kick to the body, and the action is otherwise muted in the early
going. Silva has a high kick blocked, and he retreats at the
Canadian kicks at his knee. Another head kick from “Netto BJJ”
careens off the shoulder, and Ronson answers with a loud inside leg
kick. Both lightweights are tentative, reaching with single strikes
and not taking any risks. Ronson reaches a left hand to the
pectoral, and a low kick misses the mark. Ronson checks a leg kick
and pokes out a jab, and he follows it with a shovel uppercut.
Ronson uses a jab to back his man off, and he sets up a head kick
with it. Silva fires off a big right hand, clubbing Ronson upside
the head, and the Canadian wears it well. Ronson scores a pair of
punches before Silva backpedals, and he aims a left hook to the
body while Silva escapes. Ronson aims another side kick to the
liver, and they trade jabs. Right hands come from both men, and
Ronson gets the better of an exchange and stuns Silva briefly.
Silva blinks it out and lunges out with a left, and Ronson bullies
him back to the cage wall with a combination. Ronson fires off a
body kick, and Silva responds in kind and has his leg caught.
Ronson again snipes his man with an uppercut, and he gets clocked
with a right hand in response. This excites Silva, who starts to
turn up his offense with a few punches and a low kick. Silva
changes stances and pokes away with several jabs, and he strings
together several punches and launches a flying knee that lifts
Ronson off the ground. The Canadian lands down on one knee, but the
horn sounds before Silva can finish the job. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Silva Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Silva

The round begins with Ronson as the aggressor, but Silva backs him
off with a few strikes of his own. They trade heavy blows, and
Silva mixes things up with punches high and kicks low. Silva rips
the body with a left, and he changes stances to surprise Ronson
with a sharp jab. He switches back and forth to frustrate Ronson,
and Ronson struggles to find his range when Silva does this. Ronson
sticks out a few left hands to gauge his distance again, and Silva
swats them away and hops back. A head kick from Ronson is blocked
well from the Brazilian to make Ronson topple over, and Silva lets
him up so that he can keep striking. Silva steps in with a clean
knee, and Ronson takes it flush as his nose has started to show
some damage. Ronson stomps out with a kick to the knee, and Silva
walks through it to ding Ronson with a clean right hook. Silva
whiffs on a one-two, and he finds himself backing off as Ronson
gives chase and kicks him hard to the leg. Silva leaps in the air with a knee, and he knocks Ronson clear off
his feet. Ronson hits the mat in a bad way, and Silva pounces on
him and starts pounding on him with hammerfists. Ronson shells up
and turns to his side, and Peterson gives him ample time to get out
of the bad situation. Silva does not let the Canadian off the hook,
and he continues to drop hammers until Peterson has seen
enough. With five UFC losses now on his ledger
opposite zero wins, Ronson has tied the dubious record held by John
Alessio and Pat Healy for the least success in a UFC career. Silva,
on the other hand, records his first victory in nearly four years,
and he ebulliently celebrates the knockout with his team.

Moving right along to the lightweight division, the promotion digs
deep and dusts off a pair of men who have been away from the sport
for over four combined years. The man known as “Netto BJJ” Silva
(11-2, 4-2 UFC) will be competing for the first time since 2019
against “The Gladiator” Glenn (21-6-1, 3-3 UFC), with the latter’s
last appearance in late 2018. Brushing off the cobwebs will be
referee Mike Beltran, but the 155ers are glad to be back in the
cage but do not touch gloves to start things off. Glenn backs off
and reaches out a low kick, and Silva comes back but gets clipped
with a left hand and drops Silva. Glenn smells blood and starts unleashing a fury of
punches, and Silva returns to his knees and stands back up. “The
Gladiator” does not let him off the hook, asking fans if they are
entertained as he slams his fists into Silva’s head until Silva
falls face-first to the canvas. Beltran leaps in, identifying
that Silva may be out, and he halts the fight. Wrestling with his
consciousness, Silva protests and wobbles as he stumbles back to
his feet, but he may be still trying to fight as the powerful
Beltran restrains him. In victory, Glenn lets loose a wave of
emotions after a successful, lightning-quick return to the
cage.

Joaquim Silva

Fight History

Fighter Skills Radar

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Striking Profile

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Grappling Profile

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Conclusions Summary