Jean Silva got back on track with a strong showing against Arnold Allen to score a unanimous decision win to kick off the UFC 324 main card on Saturday.
While he wasn’t able to truly hurt or put Allen down, Silva was connecting with the better power shots throughout the fight and that really made all the difference. When it was over, the judges scored the fight 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 with Silva getting the victory.
“This is a real dude right here,” Silva said about Allen after the fight. “We prepare as a team to be here for a three round war. I want to knock him out so badly and my team kept saying wait for it, wait for the moment. It’s very hard to fight someone who is an idol of yours. I really admire the guy.”
The featherweights were both cautious at the start with Allen content to stick behind a lead jab and Silva just quietly pacing forward but without throwing many punches of his own. Allen stayed busy, circling away from Silva’s power and popping him with quick combinations including several kicks.
With less than a minute remaining in the opening round, Allen tagged Silva hard with a nasty straight left as he stayed in control with the Brazilian trying to find a way through his defense. Silva finally unleashed a flurry as time was running out and he continued blitzing with a barrage of strikes with Allen weathering the storm until the horn sounded.
Allen was once again showcasing a strong striking attack but Silva was quick to fire back this time as he unloaded a stinging left hand before looking for a head kick. Back-and-forth throughout, Allen would connect with a nasty punch and then Silva would counter with some huge power of his own.
There was no slowing down from either fighter with Allen cracking Silva with some stiff punches and then Silva turning around and immediately returning the favor.
With five minutes remaining, Allen decided to look for a takedown but Silva resisted before breaking apart to reset in the center of the cage. Silva then attempted to return the favor but Allen resisted well to keep the fight standing.
While Silva wasn’t doing a ton of damage, he was connecting with the better strikes as Allen’s accuracy was suffering. As time was running out, Silva unleashed a couple of huge head kicks that definitely caught Allen’s attention as the fight went to the scorecards.
It may not have been one of his signature finishes but Silva needed a win more than anything after falling to Diego Lopes in his previous outing. Now he’s returned to the win column with Silva already having designs on a title shoot sooner than later.
“I don’t care who’s the champion,” Silva shouted. “I’m next!”
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