Introduction
Saturday, April 18th, Brazilian-Canadian featherweight prospect Radley da Silva will be in action for Battle at the Creek, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Charon Spain. He will be looking for another win, as da Silva looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Pinnacle Combat, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Striking: Possessing a capoeira background, da Silva is a flashy striker that throws a lot of spinning attacks, has strong footwork and moves around the cage well. He has knockout power, especially early in the fight when he’s fresh. He has even scored a win with a spinning wheel kick, which is the biggest highlight on his tape. His low kicks are also very effective, which helps him mix it up on the feet and opens up the kicks to the head and body.
Offensive Grappling: Radley is also a solid Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner who has a good offensive submission skill set. In fact, three of his eight wins come by way of tapout, all of which came by rear-naked choke. He does his best work when he’s able to secure the takedown and work from top position, as he’s able to advance to finishing positions more quickly.
Needs Improvement
Gas Tank: The one thing I’ve noticed with da Silva is that because he does so much flashy striking that expends a big amount of energy, he does have some gas tank issues. In his Contender Series bout with George Mangos, you could clearly see his pace slowed noticeably as the fight went on. That could be the difference between a win and a loss if a fight goes to the judges, which half of his pro fights have.
Outlook
UFC Prelim Fighter: Radley da Silva was one of the few fighters who won their Contender Series fight last year and was not offered a contract. That’s the kind of performance it was, despite it being a win. Being that he represents Canada, it was shocking he still has not gotten the UFC call, as the UFC has been looking to fill at least one Canada card. Radley has the ability to be exciting and devastating in the cage, but he still has something to prove to the UFC before he gets another look.
MMA Intel 