Former Bellator bantamweight tournament winner Rafael Silva will be looking for his second straight win tonight as he will meet Darrion Caldwell in the opening bout of the Bellator 137 main card broadcast on Spike TV.
Following a defeat against Joe Warren last year in an interim bantamweight title bout, Silva (22-4) returned to action and defeated Rob Emerson by unanimous decision at Bellator 127.
The win over Emerson was his third win inside the Bellator cage and while he was happy to walk away with the victory, Silva knows he could have done a better job on that night.
“I was happy with the victory but not happy with the performance,” Silva told The MMA Report through a translator. “I tried to control to much. If I would have let my grappling go, I probably would have finished Rob Emerson in the first round. That is what I have been working on and that is what I think I will do against Caldwell.”
Caldwell entered mixed martial arts in 2012 after being a Division 1 wrestler at North Carolina State University. Silva’s only defeat in his last 15 fights came against a wrestler in Warren. While Caldwell and Warren have a wrestling background, they have different styles according to Silva.
“He has a different style than Joe Warren as he is more of a scramble guy.” Silva explained. “He is better at scrambles. It’s nothing that concerns me. I think I can deal with his wrestling without a problem.”
The next title challenger has not been determined at this time and with Mike Richman missing weight yesterday, the winner of Silva and Caldwell could potentially be next for a title shot. However, Silva believes he will need at least another win following this fight before he gets another shot at the Bellator bantamweight title.
“If it was about deserving, I would have a title shot right after this fight. I think I will probably have another one or two fights before another title shot.”
Silva knows what Caldwell will want to do in this fight. He knows that his opponent will be looking for a takedown. However, Silva has a warning for his opponent. If you take me down, I will submit you.
“I consider myself a much better striker than Caldwell. The best he can do is take me down and if he takes him down, I am pretty confident that I can submit him. His wrestling is going to be useless in this fight.”