Jean Silva picks Movsar Evloev to dethrone Alexander Volkanovski, believes he’ll get title shot at Noche UFC

Jean Silva is eyeing the UFC featherweight title and believes a victory over short-notice opponent Jose Delgado at Noche UFC this Saturday in Glendale, Arizona, will cement his position as the next challenger. Silva was originally scheduled to face former interim champion Yair Rodriguez in a five-round main event, but an injury forced "El Pantera" off the card, leading to Delgado's late replacement.

Despite the opponent change, Silva remains unfazed about his title prospects. "Is there someone else to fight instead of me? Then I'm next," the Brazilian fighter told MMA Fighting. He's already looking ahead to the featherweight championship picture, which will take shape at UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi, where titleholder Alexander Volkanovski defends against undefeated contender Movsar Evloev.

Silva predicts Evloev will dethrone Volkanovski, setting up a title clash between them. However, he acknowledged that Volkanovski presents a tougher stylistic matchup for him personally. "He's not 100 percent in everything, but what he does is absurd," Silva said of the champion. "He sticks to a strategy, sticks to the game plan." In contrast, Silva believes Evloev is vulnerable: "The first hand that gets in, he's going down."

Preparing for Delgado on short notice forced Silva to overhaul his game plan completely, with only four days to study the replacement opponent compared to his usual eight sparring sessions during a full camp. Despite the compressed timeline, Silva praised his São Paulo coaching team for their exceptional work in scouting and adapting to the late change, conducting just one focused sparring session to test new strategies. Silva's victory on Saturday would solidify his standing as featherweight's clear number-one contender.