The rise of The Fighting Nerds has been one of the most entertaining narratives of the last couple years.
It started with Caio Borralho in 2021. The Brazilian Middleweight didn’t entertain in his early UFC appearances, even if he immediately made it clear that he’s a skilled martial artist. For two years, Borralho laid the ground work for his teammates, and then it all exploded in the fall of 2023, when Carlos Prates, Jean Silva, and Mauricio Ruffy joined the party via season seven of Contender Series.
Heads began to roll. Carlos Prates kicked off his UFC career with four knockout wins in nine months, rocketing into the rankings. Ruffy drew Conor McGregor comparisons and landed an all-time great wheel kick knockout. 5-0 with five finishes, Silva steamrolled his competition with an otherworldly display of athleticism and Muay Thai violence. As the team’s momentum picked up, even Borralho started knocking out his opponents!
For a minute there, it appeared the team had four imminent title threats in four divisions. The rise was great fun to watch, even if it never felt particularly sustainable.
In the last six months, reality has set in. Prates looked limited against Ian Garry, who largely defused the vicious kickboxer. He’s since rebounded and could still feasibly score a title shot in the next year or two, but Prates has been exposed as a human being rather than unstoppable knockout machine.
UFC Paris was a major setback for The Fighting Nerds. In the co-main event, Mauricio Ruffy got absolutely smashed by Benoit Saint-Denis. It was a one-sided mauling, the kind of grappling domination that does not inspire confidence in Ruffy’s future contender status. At 29, Ruffy could still rebuild, but the Lightweight title seems safe from “One Shot” for the foreseeable future.
Then, in the main event, Borralho fell well short of defeating Nassourdine Imavov. The Fighting Nerds leader failed to adjust to Imavov’s speed, falling further and further behind as the rounds ticked on. He’s still a Top 10 contender and didn’t look awful by any means, but he’s out of the immediate Khamzat title shot sweepstakes.
Jean Silva is the last Nerd standing.
Fortunately, he also might just be the best one. In terms of punching power, we can argue an elite tie between Silva and Prates, as both men seem to erase whomever they hit. Unlike Ruffy, however, Silva has already proven his defensive wrestling and grappling versus a major test in Bryce Mitchell, submitting the submission ace in an impressive display of well-roundedness. Best of all, Silva seems like the best athlete. He’s absurdly strong in wrestling scenarios, doesn’t seem to tire, and is able to tank shots with ease in order to land his own brutal offense.
This weekend at UFC Noche, Silva will throw down opposite Diego Lopes, the huge hitter and jiu-jitsu ace who very nearly defeated Alexander Volkanovski to capture UFC gold just a few months ago. Lopes is as legit as they come, and he offers serious threats to Silva both on the canvas and with his own ferocious right hand. It’s a real test of Silva’s jiu-jitsu and defense, because trying to walk through Lopes’ punches outright would be ill-advised.
Odds makers favor Silva to pass these tests.
With a win, Silva could very possibly skip the line for a title shot. Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy are both completely worthy of a Featherweight title shot, but neither of them consistently produce violence quite like Silva. In addition, the remaining vestiges of Fighting Nerds hype are still worth something, and Silva is now the centerpiece of that momentum.
It’s a lot of pressure on the barking Brazilian to go alongside his first main event and first five-round fight. If he can live up to the moment and deliver another stunning finish, however, The Fighting Nerds are suddenly once again in very good position to capture UFC gold.
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