Friendly Fire

Brazil’s cutthroat regional scene prepared Vinicius Salvador for some harsh realities, one of them being that business oftentimes trumps all.

The 26-year-old Marcelo Ribas protégé will take on countryman Daniel da Silva when he makes his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut as part of the UFC 282 undercard on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Salvador has grown accustomed to battling fellow Brazilians with potential life-changing opportunities on the line.

“It’s tough to be doing that in the world’s biggest promotion, where we could be facing a foreigner instead, but we do our job,” the flyweight newcomer told Sherdog.com. “We can’t avoid it. All we can do is put on a show.”

Da Silva presents some unique challenges, primarily his willingness to throw caution to the wind. The approach has resulted in three stoppage losses to Jeff Molina, Francisco Figueiredo and Victor Altamirano inside the Octagon, but “Miojo” remains a viable threat in all phases of hand-to-hand combat. Da Silva has yet to go the distance as a pro, and 13 of his 15 bouts—10 of his 11 wins and three of his four losses—have concluded inside one round.

“We see the holes in his game, and we know how to exploit them,” Salvador said. “This is the best possible fight I could think of for my UFC debut. His game matches up very well with mine. He’ll want to put on a show, he’ll want to strike and he’ll chase after me. I like doing all that. It’s going to be an excellent fight for me. I’m going to win via a sensational knockout. He’ll be hungry for a win since he’s coming off three straight losses. In rushing in against me, he’ll leave openings for me to knock him out.”

Salvador secured his position on the UFC roster in August, when he put away Shannon Ross with punches in the second round of their clash on Dana White’s Contender Series. Past experience with cornering stablemate Amanda Ribas at a UFC show helped reinforce the idea that the glare of the spotlight was not too bright for him.

“I was very calm [in my Contender Series appearance],” Salvador said. “I knew there’d be some pressure. I had already gone to a UFC event in Abu Dhabi with Amanda. I was her cornerman. Actually, I was supposed to fight on the Contender Series last year, but because of some visa issues, it didn’t end up happening. I was brought to Abu Dhabi so I could understand how things work. When I got to the Contender Series, I didn’t feel any stress. I already knew what I could and couldn’t do, what I could and couldn’t say and how to fight.”

Salvador enters his first UFC assignment with a fully formed set of skills and momentum on his side. He has rattled off four consecutive victories—all of them finishes—since a May 2019 defeat to Jafel Cavalcante Filho under the Shooto Brazil banner. Salvador, who holds the rank of black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has delivered 13 of his 14 career victories by knockout or technical knockout.

“My forte has been my striking—it’s not by accident that I have 13 knockout wins,” he said. “Few people realize that I started out in jiu-jitsu, but I didn’t train for some time. That’s how I suffered some of my losses, and losses via jiu-jitsu were especially hard to take. I ended up getting better at it since everyone knows every art nowadays. I can’t say anymore that muay thai is my strong suit; it’s actually MMA. My opponents can come at me on the feet or on the ground. Either way, I’ll meet them head-on.”

The next step in Salvador’s journey will soon play out against da Silva. He sounds like a man who understands the gravity of the situation.

“We’re taking it slow, one step at a time,” Salvador said. “That’s how you have to make your way up in the UFC.”