Jean Silva flew to London to be cageside for the UFC London main event clash between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy, but not because he’s hoping to face one of the two next. Silva thinks it will be special to sign a contract to face UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski after two undefeated contenders battle with the same hopes.
Silva told MMA Fighting he entered the Meta APEX recently to watch a UIFC event and was greeted with barks from the crowd. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell called him over to sit next to him, and with the help of ChatGPT for translation, Silva told Campbell, “I’m the next champion, brother. I’m the one who’s going to fight Alexander Volkanovski.”
“Judging by how happy he looked,” Silva said. “You could tell it’s something they were already considering.”
Silva will be at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday to witness the five-round clash and said he’s the obvious choice to fight Volkanovski for gold next. The Fighting Nerd was victorious in six of seven UFC appearances, most recently a decision against Arnold Allen to rebound from an electric clash with Diego Lopes, and pocketed four bonuses in his previous four bouts.
“If you look at the division today, the narrative that’s been built and the names currently ranked in the UFC, there’s no one to fight for the belt right now,” Silva said. “Volkanovski wants to fight right now. Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev fight once a year. There’s nobody, man. … I’m next, man. I told Hunter a lot of things. I told him how I’m going to promote the title fight. It’s already started, but there are still a few cherries on top to come here [in London].”
Evloev and Murphy are also jockeying for the chance after building long winning streaks. In his most recent one, Murphy scored a knockout of the year contender against Aaron Pico, and Evloev won decisions against the likes of Aljamain Sterling, Diego Lopes, Dan Ige and Allen. Having said all that, Silva still seems himself ahead of the two in the race for a shot at the 145-pound gold.
“I deserve to be the next title challenger because I’m the full package,” Silva said. “The perfect package the UFC needs right now. I understand the UFC isn’t just a sports league, it’s also a media company. And at the end of the day, everything revolves around viewership, interest, and delivery. And today, in the 145-pound division, no one brings what I bring. Performance inside the octagon and the ability to sell fights outside of it. If you really look at it, nobody sells a fight the way I do.
“Tell me something, who makes fans stop everything to watch a title fight? Who creates real anticipation? Who builds a story? That’s me. If you look at all my fights, they all had a narrative, a story, public expectation. And I delivered. Inside and outside. I’m the one who creates all of that. There’s no other name in the division delivering this right now at the level I am. That’s the reality. Nobody delivers that in this division. That’s a fact.”
And Silva continues his argument by saying that even if Murphy vs. Evloev ends up being an exciting showdown, they still shouldn’t leapfrog him.
“I want Saturday’s fight between Murphy and Evloev to be incredible,” Silva said. “I want a war, a knockout or a submission, because that elevates the sport. But this isn’t about them, it’s about me. It’s about the standard I bring. I don’t step in to win decisions, I step in there to knock people out. I go in to finish fights, you know? And that’s exactly what I’m going to do against Volkanovski. Deliver a dominant performance, hunt for the knockout the entire time, and without a doubt, I’ll give the fans a moment they’ll never forget.
“And outside the octagon, I’ll promote this fight like no one ever has against Volkanovski. Like no one ever will. I will promote it. I’ll make the whole world stop to watch this fight. Grandmothers, grandfathers, fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins, kids. The entire world will stop to watch this fight. And when it happens, I won’t just win, I’ll make it look like it’s been mine for a long time.”
Silva said that him versus Volkanovski would be the perfect addition to the traditional International Fight Week show in July, and he would join ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev as the only men to knock out the Australian great in the octagon in Las Vegas.
“I can guarantee you one thing, for sure: I’m going to knock out Volkanovski,” Silva said. “I’m going to promote this fight not in an aggressive way, not by trash talking or anything like that. It’s because I genuinely enjoy this. I like promoting, I like creating anticipation, I like knowing there are millions of people watching. I’ll be chasing the knockout the entire time until I knock out Volkanovski.”
An extra motivation to getting the shot ahead of Murphy or Evloev would be preventing Volkanovski to break Jose Aldo’s record for most title wins in the UFC featherweight division, Silva said. They’re currently tied at eight, and Silva wants Aldo to be in the arena when he tries to bring back the title to Brazil.
“If he fights Murphy — which is an easier fight for him — or Evloev — which I think is lower risk — and he wins, he kind of chips away at our legend’s legacy in a way,” Silva said. “For people coming into MMA today who don’t know the history, who’s going to go look it up? But I’ll carry that into the octagon. I’ll make sure Jose Aldo is there to hand me the belt alongside Dana because the belt will return to Brazil after 10 years. Imagine receiving that belt from him? That’s more than a dream, it’s the realization of Brazil returning to the top of the featherweight division.”
“Lord” Silva plans on being a very active champion and defend his belt shortly after winning it, and joins Charles Oliveira in his petition to have a “historic” soccer stadium show in Brazil in the second half of 2026. Volkanovski could very well have an immediate rematch given his history in the organization, Silva noted, but the list of options at 145 pounds continue to grow in the UFC, from Diego Lopes to Kevin Vallejos to Melquizael Costa.
“And if you really look at all those names, I’ve built a storyline with all of them,” Silva said. “I have something extra to offer beyond just the belt. The UFC is a sports league, but people forget it’s also a media company. Today everything revolves around how many people you can get to stop and watch you. And across all divisions, I’m the guy with the most storylines involving multiple opponents.
“There’s Melk, who’s been chasing a fight with me no matter what, so there’s already a narrative there for the future. I have a story with Diego Lopes that could sell millions if it happens. I’ve got my son Vallejos, who I’ll have to educate again soon. He’s coming up strong. Tell me which UFC champion, or which contender, has as many narratives as I do? I win the belt, then defend it against Vallejos, defend it against Melk, then defend it against Diego Lopes. Not to mention a possible rematch with Volkanovski before all that. We’re talking about four title defenses, all with massive storylines. I have a lot to offer, and the UFC takes all of that into account.”
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