UFC 315 is do-or-die for Bruno Silva, and previous opponent Alex Pereira performed a vital half in getting him that final probability within the octagon.
“Blindado” and Pereira grew to become mates after a 15-minute battle in 2022, a match that snapped Silva’s seven-fight knockout streak and began a disappointing run of six losses in seven appearances. Silva, who faces Canada’s Marc-Andre Barriault this Saturday in Montreal, is aware of his job job the road.
It’s already a bonus, actually, contemplating that Silva was knowledgeable of his launch after a poor efficiency in opposition to Ismail Naurdiev this previous October.
“I obtained again house from Abu Dhabi the Monday after the combat and my workforce and I knew there was a one hundred pc probability I used to be getting lower,” Silva informed MMA Combating. “4 losses. And never solely losses, however actually unhealthy performances. … I wasn’t preventing to win, I used to be preventing to outlive. And the final combat was the worst. All I assumed was, ‘God, get me out of right here. I don’t wanna be right here. I can’t do that anymore. Not like this.’ I nonetheless survived all three rounds. I fought actually unhealthy, however nonetheless survived.”
Alone along with his daughter at house, with spouse and mom out in Curitiba, Silva tucked her into mattress and picked up his cellphone to see a message from “Poatan” Pereira. The Brazilian star, nonetheless UFC gentle heavyweight champion on the time, requested Silva if he was alright after his fourth loss in a row.
“I referred to as him to talk and informed him what was occurring,” Silva mentioned, referring to the psychological well being points he had publicly revealed earlier that day. “I feared it was the tip of my profession. And he was like, ‘I’ll offer you an concept: why don’t you speak to [UFC matchmaker] Mick [Maynard]? Why don’t you attain out to the UFC in individual and clarify what’s occurring? I do know you, I fought you, and I do know you’re preventing manner beneath your skills.’”
Silva anticipated to get the discharge finally, so there was no hurt in attempting. He talked to his supervisor Bernardo Serale and penned a message to Maynard, despatched by way of Instagram. Silva doesn’t communicate English and wasn’t used to speaking to Maynard straight.
“Bruno, I perceive you,” Maynard wrote, in line with Silva, “Nevertheless it’s 4 losses in a row. Sadly, there’s nothing I can do.”
On Monday, Oct. 28, two days after dropping to Naurdiev in Abu Dhabi, Silva was now not a UFC fighter.
“I went again to my bed room and began praying,” Silva mentioned. “God, please give me one other probability. Don’t let it finish like that. I got here this far, to the world’s largest group, and once I wanted my well being probably the most, I’ve issues. Assist me.”
Silva left the room minutes later and determined to offer it one other strive. This time, he would write and translate the message himself.
“Mick, I’ve by no means mentioned ‘no’ to any combat, and by no means turned down any opponent,” Silva remembers writing. “I fought everyone you provided. No one needed to combat Poatan and I did it. No one needed to combat Shara [Magomedov] and I did it. There was nobody I turned down. my efficiency has dropped, however give me a while, man. Let me get remedy, maintain my head. Let me get a psychiatrist and take medicine, let me discover steadiness once more.”
Message despatched. A reply got here a couple of minutes later.
“Bruno, I’ll offer you another combat,” Maynard wrote, in line with Silva. “Should you lose, there’s actually nothing I can do. It’s in your fingers now.”
Silva thanked Maynard and requested for a while to hunt assist.
“I dove head first into my well being as a result of I wanted it,” Silva mentioned. “Not just for my profession, but in addition for myself. Folks thought I used to be depressed. No, removed from that. I like life. I didn’t ask for this shit, however I needed to combat it. I requested God for a treatment. The psychiatrist mentioned I needed to discover a option to dwell with it, and that panicked me. Then I noticed I used to be asking God for the improper factor. I used to be asking for a treatment, and I wasn’t prepared to do my half? ‘God, please assist me do my greatest.’”
The UFC middleweight had visits with a psychologist twice every week, plus a weekly session with a psychiatrist. On prime of that, he added movies, books, medicine, and spoke to individuals who have handled the identical problem. When the disaster started to fade, Serale texted him: “Let’s work?”
Maynard reached out to his workforce in February providing a match with Barriault for the Could 10 card in Montreal, and Silva was assured sufficient to say sure. Silva’s mom and brothers flew all the best way to Curitiba to be by his facet throughout camp, offering emotional assist and recommendation.
The person who as soon as traveled to Russia to beat veterans in enemy territory wanted to return to his ingredient, and UFC 315 may be it.
“When the combat was booked, I watched three of his fights after which informed [coach Andre] ‘Dida’ to only inform me what needs to be carried out and that’s it,” Silva mentioned. “Should you see me lined in blood and my fingers raised, that’s peak happiness for me. I wanna go there and break him. I don’t desire a good technical sport. I’ll do what I’ve at all times carried out: have enjoyable. I need to finish the evening feeling happy with myself. I need to return house, for the people who love and cheer for me, and proceed my legacy. It will be very unfair for my story to finish like that.
“After I beat him, I have already got in my head what I’m going to inform Mick, the UFC, and the people who have gone by the identical factor. I need my story to be an instance for them. It’s not the tip of the world. All the pieces has a treatment, every thing has a solution, and you may bounce again in the event you consider in God. I see this combat as my rebirth not solely as an athlete, however as an individual. It’s one other alternative for my profession. I hope it’s all prior to now now and I’ve my fingers raised in the long run.”
