“I have to confess that it’s really nice when the place is familiar, fighting in the same venue,” Silva said. “When that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t make much difference, but if I had to choose, obviously in the same place (is better). You’re already used to the energy.”
At the end of the day, though, it doesn’t matter where — or especially who — Silva is fighting, as the job for him is as simple as signing on the dotted line is.
“When the fight (against Alex Pereira) came up, I didn’t think twice and I accepted right away. I didn’t even know his reasons, and then he clarified it,” Silva said, explaining how Pereira told the media he preferred to fight him instead of Krzysztof Jotko due to Silva’s entertainment value. “But, for me, it made no difference. The fight was offered, and it was accepted. That’s all.”
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Pereira, a two-division Glory kickboxing champion, made his debut in November, notching a second-round flying knee knockout over Andreas Michailidis in Madison Square Garden. Regardless of the hype and momentum that follows the Glover Teixeira-trained talent into this match, Silva believes his experience as a mixed martial artist could make the difference.
“In theory, yes. In practice, I don’t know. But in MMA, we are more specialists. My team specializes in MMA,” the 32-year-old said. “He was an expert in Glory, but I’ve been an expert in MMA for many more years, with a lot more fights and a lot more baggage. I’ve been through a lot in the Octagon, so pretty much nothing is new to me anymore.”
