Caldwell is a 2009 NCAA national champion and a two-time All-American wrestler, but Brazilian veteran Silva hopes to hand him his first loss in MMA at Friday’s Bellator 137 in Temecula, Calif.
"I know he’s undefeated, but that’s only six fights," Silva told MMAFighting.com. "It doesn’t matter. He hasn’t fought someone at my level, and I’m going to show that Friday night. It’s going to be a good fight, no matter where it goes. It won’t be easy to take me down, and I expect a war."
Caldwell is 3-0 under the Bellator banner with a pair of first-round submissions, but "Morcego", 22-4 in MMA with 17 finishes, believes that the decorated wrestler should think twice before going for takedowns against him.