Erick Silva entered the UFC in 2011 as a former Jungle Fight champion and immediately caught the attention of president Dana White with impressive finishes, but an inconsistent run over the next six years cost him his contract.
At age 34, and with an 8-8 record in the UFC, Silva chose to sign with LFA. Seven months after his last Octagon appearance, Silva entered the cage to fight Nick Barnes at LFA 45, scoring a late first-round armbar victory after getting knocked down early.
“I’m obviously very happy for the victory,” Silva told MMA Fighting, “but I don’t wanna get too excited about it because my focus is to evolve more, so I can’t waste any more time.