Introduction
Saturday, March 30th, German flyweight prospect Shawn Marcos da Silva will be in action for Cage Warriors, where he will be looking continue his undefeated ways against Lone’er Kavanaugh. He will be looking for another win, as da Silva looks to inch closer to a contract with the UFC. He represents Planet Eater, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Exciting Striker: From the fights I have seen, which is not much due to limited footage/fights, da Silva has an exciting, aggressive style with good power. Three of his six wins come by knockout, including a brutal flying knee that got him into Cage Warriors and a nasty finish over Kiru Singh Sahota. That one against Sahota showed the solid hands of da Silva, showing the dynamics of both his boxing and kickboxing.
Needs Improvement
Unknowns: As mentioned, I have not been able to get a lot of footage on da Silva, though what I have seen I have liked. However, once he moves up in competition level, there are a few intangibles we don’t know about like his wrestling and counter-wrestling. In the European circuit, there aren’t going to be the type of wrestlers as in the United States or Russian scene. His jiu-jitsu will also be put to the test, though I suspect he’s solid in that area. Again, I like da Silva as a prospect, but need to see more before moving to the big leagues.
Outlook
Regional Champ/UFC Prelim Fighter: As stated, I think da Silva still has something to prove, but his most recent offering saw him beat European vet Gerardo Fanny, a fighter with more than double his fights and a strong record. That’s a good start. I think he’s still probably 3-4 fights away from the big leagues. Lone’er Kavanaugh is his current opponent, who is a prospect, but has less pro experience than da Silva. He needs to win, then continue to take fights with Cage Warriors and score bigger wins.
MMA Intel 