Bruno Silva Faces Uphill Climb in Unbeaten Sharabutdin Magomedov at UFC 294

Bruno Silva could use a win, hence his by-any-means-necessary approach.

His place on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster having grown tenuous, the former M-1 Global titleholder will attempt to bounce back from losses in three of his past four outings when he squares off with undefeated promotional newcomer Sharabutdin Magomedov in a UFC 294 middleweight prelim on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Silva believes in the preparation he has undertaken behind closed doors at Evolucao Thai.

“I’ve been doing great work in training,” he told Sherdog.com. “I’ve evolved significantly this year. I’m working on making adjustments based on what my team and I saw from my last fight. I had also been making the same errors in my wins. Now I’m ready for my next challenge.”

Silva finds himself on the rebound following a club-and-sub defeat to onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Brendan Allen at UFC on ABC 5, where he succumbed to a rear-naked choke in the first round of their June 24 encounter. The setback moved the 34-year-old Brazilian to 4-3 inside the Octagon.

“He beat me and deserved that win,” Silva said. “I had been nullifying his game and walking him down, but MMA is a crazy sport and everything can change on a dime. I was rocking him, but he caught me with a punch I didn’t see and ended up submitting me. It wasn’t a deficiency in my jiu-jitsu. I put a lot of time into that. The knockdown led to my loss.”

Nurmagomedov, 29, enters the cage with a perfect 11-0 record that includes seven first-round finishes. The Russian prospect last competed under the Thailand Fighting Championship banner on Dec. 11, when he needed just eight seconds to cut down Kushal Vyas with a knee strike and follow-up punches.

“He’s someone I very much needed to face at this moment,” Silva said. “We’re working on correcting errors in my striking. I had also stopped taking people down in the UFC. I want to use my submissions, takedowns and to defend kicks. Facing Russian fighters is always difficult, and I know how hard it is to fight in Russia. I was a champion over there. If he’s undefeated, he must deserve it. Of course, in Russia, the local favorites won’t face someone as tough as us visiting Brazilians.

“Ultimately, I don’t care if he’s undefeated,” he added. “My mission is to beat him. My goal isn’t just a KO. My goal is to win, whether by submission, decision or even an ugly, boring fight. I’m not concerned with putting on a show. The plan is to win.”

A victory over the unbeaten Nurmagomedov could work wonders in terms of revitalizing Silva’s career. He views the Russian as a potential springboard.

“My focus, goal and future are to win this fight and to get into the rankings,” Silva said. “It’s where I want and deserve to be.”