It’s been a long time coming but Bruno Silva finally made his octagon debut on Saturday night and the Brazilian certainly made the most of the opportunity.
After almost three years away from the sport, Silva returned at UFC Vegas 29 and he put away Wellington Turman with a vicious series of punches on the ground to earn a jaw-dropping knockout at just 4:45 in the first round.
“I was already champion,” Silva said after his win. “This is my 17th knockout. I came here to be champion, too. I come here to do or die. I’m a striker. I try to end the fight wherever it is.”
Heavy ground shots for the finish #UFCVegas29 LIVE on ESPN2 & @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/YBVZAYVsxU
— UFC (@ufc) June 19, 2021
As soon as he was released from the corner, it was Turman who got on the inside and immediately began multiple attempts to put Silva on the ground. Turman transitioned from traditional takedowns to throws and then eventually jumping on Silva’s back as he looked for the early submission finish.
Despite his best attempts, Turman was never able to really secure his position and that led to Turman eventually shrugging him off and gaining top control on the canvas.
As part of the scramble on the ground, Silva actually trapped one of Turman’s arms inside his leg as he began unloading a barrage of punches. The first shot rattled Turman but then Silva followed up with a blistering series of left hands behind it that put his opponent’s lights out.
Silva wasted no time celebrating as he put behind him a long and arduous road to finally make it to the UFC while also earning his fifth straight win in a row overall with all of those fights ending by knockout.
With his resume and that kind of finishing ability, Silva immediately becomes a prospect to watch in the UFC’s middleweight division as he moves forward with his career.