Bruno Silva built most of his MMA career training alongside former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, but decided to change things up in 2024.
Set to fight Cody Durden at UFC Vegas 94 this Saturday, “Bulldog” told MMA Fighting why he opted to move from Arizona to Florida to join American Top Team earlier this year.
“There’s a lot of great people here,” Silva said of ATT. “There are three world champions here: Alexandre Pantoja, Adriano Moraes, and Kyoji Horiguchi. That’s one of the reasons why I came here, because it’s really strong in my weight class. The quality here, numbers speak for itself. I can’t say it was better [at Fight Ready] if the champions are here.”
Silva has known Pantoja for many years, dating back to back when the now UFC flyweight king made his octagon debut after being on The Ultimate Fighter 24 with Cejudo as coach, and will have former UFC contender Jussier Formiga in his corner after working with the jiu-jitsu ace in camp. Striking coach Anderson França and Bellator veteran Danny Sabatello were also key members of his camp.
“I’ve always heard great things about here,” Silva said. “I really love Arizona, I was at Fight Ready with Cejudo for nine years and I love everybody there, but I did the math and it made sense to move here. It’s closer to Brazil so it’s easier to visit my family. The weather is better, the beach, and it’s the world’s biggest gym. There’s no tax in Florida and the gym only charges me five percent, half of what I paid [at Fight Ready], so I moved to a better place and ended up saving money. I really love it there, but it’s about changing for the better.”
Silva won his past three UFC fights with finishes and won $50,000 bonuses for each of those victories, but hasn’t fought in more than a year. “Bulldog” took care of his body and saw multiple matchups fell through in the meantime, including a clash with Durden in September 2023. They will finally meet Saturday, and Silva wants to get the job done and stay active going forward.
“Another knockout and another bonus,” Silva said of his plans for UFC Vegas 94. “I don’t know what round and how, but I know it’s happening. I’m ready for this. It was one my best camps ever and I’m very happy to be fighting and making money now. I’m living the dream here, so I have to be happy. No complaints, man.”
