Douglas Silva De Andrade’s Risk and Reward

As he prepares to face Said Nurmagomedov on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 39, Douglas Silva de Andrade finds himself in a situation of rare good fortune. At 37, an age at which most fighters are in decline—especially in the fast-twitch, frenetically paced world of men’s bantamweight—“D’Silva” has won back-to-back fights via violent stoppage. Both of those performances were accompanied by postfight bonuses, which sweetened things even further for the ecstatic father of a baby girl, who has been open about fighting to earn a better life for his parents in Brazil. Silva spoke to Sherdog about family, gratitude, and approaching the “kill or be killed” mindset as respectfully as possible.

“We’ve been breaking down barriers,” he said of his current win streak. “We’ve proven that it can be done. I’m thankful and honored. It’s crazy that we made it so far. The last two bouts – my return to bantamweight – were wars. I was able to use the bonuses not only to help my own family unit, but also my parents. Now I’m on my third training camp in less than a year. Thankfully, my injuries are behind me now. I’ve been able to further improve my mother’s home, after I was able to get her a better wheelchair. I’m truly grateful for my victories and bonus awards.”

Silva acknowledges that the same aggressive approach that led to his pair of recent bonuses also leaves him vulnerable to his opponents’ offense. For him, the risk is worth the reward, always keeping in mind the real reason he fights.

“With all respect to my opponent,” Silva said, “the goal is to get a knockout or submission, while risking the same. Ultimately, we have to be as careful as possible and count on God’s blessings. We want to give our best. We’re always willing to be carried out on our shields. If you look at my last fight, that almost happened to me. My hope is that this year will be one of the best on record for me. It’s a pleasure to be able to provide the things my little daughter needs. She’s my angel. I live for her.”

In Nurmagomedov, Silva clearly sees something of a kindred spirit. The 15-2 Dagestani is on a two-fight win streak of his own, and occupies a similar place just outside the rankings. A win by either man could propel him into the contender discussion, while a loss would mean a step back into the masses in the ultra-competitive bantamweight division.

“Challenges are always great,” he said. “We’ve overcome others in the past, and here’s another one. It’s fun. Said Nurmagomedov has a great name in the sport. The UFC always books the toughest guys against me. That’s how we like it. There is no getting out of it. Thankfully, we come from good results, and we’re looking forward to this collision. I’m thankful to Said. We need each other. How else can we work?

“I’ve been ranked at featherweight in the past, and I expect to be ranked again,” he added. “That’s the plan. The first step is to put on a good show for the UFC and for the fans. And then, we can get even tougher and more recognizable fighters. That’s why we’re in this war.”

Silva’s preparation for Saturday’s fight has taken place in Las Vegas, specifically the UFC Performance Institute, but he found a familiar partner in a fellow northern Brazilian, former World Series of Fighting and Jungle Fight champion Alexandre Almeida.

“I’m getting ready again with ‘Capitao,’” he said. “He has tons of experience in the sport. We’ve known each other for a long time, and we’ve been working together as of recently. That’s why I left my family back in Brazil again. I’m paying the price needed to reach my goals. The UFC PI gives us the resources we need for our team to get me ready. The goal with each camp is to always add more trainers.”

From here, the path for “D’Silva” goes through the UFC Apex, then onward for as long as he is able to keep competing. Through it all, he never stops being grateful and never forgets where he came from or why he is here. “The goal is to keep going back to war, for as long as God allows,” he said. “There was a time when I quit the sport, but I eventually found my way back. There are highs and lows in our lives. It happens to many of us. To the fans – I made it here. I’m a mestizo from the north of Brazil. Regardless of past challenges, I’m here to deliver insane fights.”