Radley Da Silva will test skills with George Mangos as part of Dana White’s Contender Series on August 12th, and Da Silva appeared on MMA Canada to offer up his insights on this high-stakes contest.
As a multiple-time defending titleholder in Battlefield Fight League, the journey of Radley Da Silva further underscores a broader connectivity between BFL and the UFC through the years. If the Canadian featherweight standout gets his ideal outcome, Radley Da Silva will become the 12th BFL champion to have earned a UFC contract, as well as the fourth BFL world champion on the current UFC roster.
When speaking to the connectivity between the two MMA organizations, Radley Da Silva said,
“Yeah, there’s no denying that Battlefield’s the biggest promotion in Canada, at least on the west side, like without a doubt. Yeah, they’re definitely proving it. They’re having so many of their fighters throughout history. They’ve been around for so long.”
“So, it’s only right that they have that kind of connection with the biggest promotion in the world because they are a feeder league, especially for Canadians, and there’s not many of them. Now there’s more starting to come, but especially before they, were like one of the very few. So, yeah, definitely it’s awesome to be part of that team.”
Radley Da Silva on the machinations of the mangos matchup
The MMA Prospects Instagram account had a post that underscored the quality matchmaking at play here with Da Silva and Mangos both being touted as their prospect of the year picks for their respective parts of the world. When speaking to how both he and his opponent have endeared themselves to some of the more hardcore MMA fans out there before their DWCS clash, Radley Da Silva stated,
“Yeah, for sure. When I got notice of the matchup; like I’m an MMA fan like to the core, man. I watch all the regional shows. I know everyone and everything that’s going on, all the champions. So, when I heard of the matchup, I was just excited as a fan even because I already know it’s going to be a banger fight.”
“Those are the kind of matchups that really excite me and get me going. Like I said, when you’ve been doing this for so long, especially martial arts, sometimes you feel like ‘I don’t need to go that hard. I know I can beat up such and such.’ But to get these undefeated prospects, that’s the kind of stuff that really gets me excited.”
“Like I’ve kind of had a thing where I almost look for the guys with the best records I could possibly find. So that they give me that excitement and thrill of ‘I got to be at my best when I come in there.’ So, when I found that matchup out, I was like instantly so hyped about it. Yeah, it’s definitely going to bring the best version out of me, for sure.”
Mangos is coming in with an unbeaten record with the prior accolades of being the HEX Fight Series champion before his multiple defenses of that title netted him this Contender Series spot here. Da Silva discussed during the interview about how studious and familarized he is with the global crop of talented 145 pound fighters. In terms of his assessments of the resume and skill set of George Mangos heading into this contest, Radley da Silva quipped,
“I think he’s like definitely the best in his region, for sure. I already knew all the best guys from each region like Brazil, Europe, Australia, America. I know all the best guys in my weight class because I was getting ready to fight whichever one the UFC asked me to fight. So, definitely he’s the best one in that region and he’s good, man.”
“I was saying even, like I think he’ll definitely make it to the UFC eventually. It’s only a matter of time, but that word time is important [laughs] because right now it just isn’t the time. Everyone learns, everyone has a fight where they learn things. Maybe lose that 0 and gain a lot more.”
“But right now at this time in my career where it’s like 25 years of martial arts in the prime of my physical and mental. I have the most experience I’ve ever had in my career, as many consecutive fights as I’ve had. It’s just leading into the perfect time for me. I feel it really is a matter of time kind of thing where it’s really just my time right now to shine.”
“He’ll have his time eventually. It’s going to be a great experience for both of us either way. But you know, I like the skill sets he brings too. You know, he’s got sharp standup, pretty decent jiu-jitsu, and stuff like that. So I like the match up. I like the match up for myself, and I know his skill sets and weaknesses. I respect what he’s done so far and I’m just ready to go in there and stamp my ticket.”
