Rafael Silva (fighter)
| Rafael Silva | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 20, 1985 Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil |
| Other names | Morcego |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Bantamweight |
| Reach | 65 in (165 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil |
| Team | Renovacao Fight Team |
| Years active | 2005-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 32 |
| Wins | 27 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 13 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Rafael Silva (born March 20, 1985) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of Pancrase. A professional competitor since 2005, Silva has competed in his native Brazil for most of his career.
Silva made his professional MMA debut in June 2005. After going 2-2 in his first four fights, he maintained an impressive record of 18 wins and only 1 loss from 2009 to 2012. Among his notable wins was a victory over current UFC fighter John Lineker.
A long-time veteran of the national Brazilian MMA scene, Silva fought for a variety of promotions - including World Fighting Combat, Sparta MMA, Octagon MMA, Connect Fight Night, Energy Force, and Nitrix Champion Fight - before making his North American debut.
In June 2012, it was announced that Silva had signed with Bellator MMA, although he did not debut until a year later.
Silva entered as a participant in the 2013 Summer Series Bantamweight tournament. He faced Rodrigo Lima in the semifinals at Bellator 97 and won via submission in the third round. The finals were delayed until the fall of 2013 and he eventually faced Anthony Leone at Bellator 102. He won the fight via dominant unanimous decision to earn a title shot.
Silva was booked to face Bantamweight Champion Eduardo Dantas on March 7, 2014, but due to a knee injury, Silva was replaced by Anthony Leone at Bellator 111.
Silva stepped in to replace Eduardo Dantas to face Joe Warren at Bellator 118 on May 2, 2014. The fight was scheduled for the Bellator Interim Bantamweight championship. Silva, however, missed weight and the promotion made the interim title available only if Warren were to win. Silva lost the fight via unanimous decision.
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