There are no easy paths in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, just ask Victor Hugo Silva. Silva, from the Astra Fight Team, will be among three rookies making their debut in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 231. In this highly-anticipated event, Silva will compete against the undefeated Daniel Marcos in a three-round bantamweight prelim. The bout is scheduled for this Saturday at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Entering the cage as a replacement for fighter Daniel Santos, Silva is on an impressive 13-fight winning streak spanning over nine years. His path to the UFC was cleared in October, during Dana White’s Contender Series, when he beat Eduardo Torres Cant via a second-round kneebar bolstering his record to 24-4. Notably, Silva, a seasoned Brazilian fighter, has won 17 out of his 24 career victories either by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Marcos, also known as “Soncora”, presents a formidable challenge for Silva in his first UFC assignment. Boasting a flawless 15-0 record with eight wins via knockout or technical knockout, Marcos last competed at UFC Fight Night 224 where he secured a split decision victory over Davey Grant, a finalist from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18. Prior to joining UFC, Marcos held the 300 Sparta bantamweight championship in his native Peru. Besides Silva, two other aspiring fighters are poised to make their promotional debuts in the event: Eduarda Moura, an undefeated women’s strawweight prospect, and once-defeated Nova Uniao lightweight competitor, Kaue Fernandes.
Moura is set to face Montserrat Ruiz in a three-round undercard clash in the 115-pound category. A part of the Galpao da Luta camp in Salvador, Brazil, Moura trains under Yuri Moura and Herrick Marinho. She boasts a professional record of 9-0, with eight of the wins resulting in finishes. Moura earned her spot in the UFC after defeating Janaina Silva in Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series. Her opponent, Ruiz, desperately needs a win after back-to-back stoppage losses to Amanda Lemos and Jaqueline Amorim. Shooto Brazil and Legacy Fighting Alliance alum, Fernandes is set to compete against Marc Diakiese in a three-round lightweight prelim bout. Diakiese, a seven-plus year UFC veteran, has struggled to establish a stable foothold in his UFC stint and will try to turn his fortunes this time around.