After his victory over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 and securing a $50,000 performance bonus, Jean Silva is getting closer to his true aspiration, which isn`t just winning the UFC belt.
Known as “Lord,” Silva had previously shared that his ultimate dream was to marry his partner, Carolina de Castro, in a church ceremony, a plan that requires significant funds. Following his second-round submission win on April 12th, Silva elaborated on the expensive nature of his wedding plans, but expressed that he is now “very close” to realizing this dream.
“We should be married already, but we really want Belo to perform at our wedding,” Silva revealed at the post-fight press conference, referring to the famous Brazilian singer Belo. “I’m making a plea here. Please, Belo, lower your performance fee, brother. It’s too much. Otherwise, I’ll have to fight maybe four more times and sign another new contract.”
Reports from April 2024 indicate that Belo`s performance fee is around $120,000 per concert.
“Do you think,” Silva playfully questioned, “if I invite Dana White to be my best man, he would cover Belo’s fee?”
When UFC CEO Dana White appeared for the post-event media briefing, Jose Youngs from MMA Fighting relayed Silva`s question to him.
“I need a bit more information on this,” White responded with a smile, “but I’m likely in.”
The Silva versus Mitchell fight was highly anticipated, and Silva delivered an outstanding performance, improving his UFC record to 5-0 with five performance bonuses earned.
“I believe I’m the people’s hero now,” Silva stated. “They were waiting for one, and Jean ‘Lord’ Silva has arrived.”
This featherweight fighter, recognized for his knockout power and striking skills, surprisingly secured a victory over Mitchell with a slick ninja choke submission on the ground.
“Training for this fight was much harder than the fight itself,” Silva admitted. “This shows the excellent work done by Pablo [Sucupira] and Flavio [Alvaro] with us, and we are proving it. We’ve seen success with [Mauricio] Ruffy recently, myself before, and now again, and next, we’ll see Carlos Prates. Everyone, please get used to this.”
