Erick Silva

Silva made his promotional debut against Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 216 on February 16, 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Silva faced Paul Daley at Bellator 223 on June 22, 2019. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Erick and his wife Isabela have a son, Carlos (born 2019). Silva has also an older son, Kalleu.

Following his departure from the UFC, Silva signed with Legacy Fighting Alliance and debuted in the main event at LFA 45 against Nick Barnes on July 20, 2018. He won the fight via submission in the first round.

On September 6, 2018, it was announced that Silva had signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA. Silva was expected to make his promotional debut against Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 207, but was forced to pull out due to an injury on October 1, 2018.

Silva faced Yancy Medeiros on June 3, 2017 at UFC 212. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Silva faced Jordan Mein on December 16, 2017 at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. The fight with Mein was the last of his contract with UFC.

On March 5, 2016, Silva faced Nordine Taleb at UFC 196 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. During the opening round, Silva extended his fist to Taleb to touch gloves in a sign of sportsmanship, but immediately landed a right hook as Taleb attempted to reciprocate it and respond to Silva's gesture. Taleb called the move dirty in a post-fight interview and stated he knew Silva was a "dirty" fighter. He received heavy criticism from fans and media and later apologized on his Twitter account, releasing a statement and admitting it was "unethical".

After the loss, Silva decided to establish his own fight team, Tiger's Den MMA, to be closer to his son, Kalleu. He brought in Andre Benkei to be his head coach. Silva was briefly scheduled to face Brandon Thatch on September 24, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 95. However, Thatch pulled out of the fight with an undisclosed injury and was subsequently replaced by Luan Chagas. He won the back and forth fight via submission in the third round. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors.

Silva was expected to face Ben Saunders on March 21, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 62. However, on March 6, Saunders was forced from the fight citing an injury and was replaced by Josh Koscheck. Silva won the fight by submission in the first round.

Silva was expected to face Rick Story on June 27, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 70. However, Silva was removed from the card on June 19, after visa issues restricted his entry to the United States. In turn, Story was removed from the card as well. The bout with Story was rescheduled and was expected to take place on August 23, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 74. Subsequently, Story pulled out of the bout on August 11 citing injury and was replaced by Neil Magny. Silva lost the fight via split decision.

Silva was expected to face returning veteran Nate Loughran on February 15, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 36. However, Loughran was forced out of the bout with an injury. Silva instead faced promotional newcomer Takenori Sato. He won the fight via TKO early in the first round. The win also earned him one of the first UFC Performance of the Night bonus awards.

Silva faced Mike Rhodes on December 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 58. He won the fight by technical submission in the first round. The win also earned Silva his second Performance of the Night bonus award.

Silva was expected to face Jay Hieron on February 2, 2013 at UFC 156. However, Silva pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Tyron Woodley.

Silva was expected to face John Hathaway on June 8, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 10. However, Hathaway was pulled from the bout in late April and replaced by Jason High, who was already scheduled on the card against Ildemar Alcantara. Silva won the fight via triangle armbar submission. The finished earned him his second Submission of the Night bonus.

Silva faced Dong Hyun Kim on October 9, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 29. Kim defeated Silva via second round KO.

Silva was expected to face promotional newcomer Siyar Bahadurzada on January 14, 2012 at UFC 142. However, Bahadurzada was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Carlo Prater. After missing a looping right hook in the opening seconds of the fight, Silva quickly followed with a left knee to the body which effectively knocked Prater down. Prater caught Silva's knee and held on to his leg as Silva began attacking with hammer fists and punches to the head. During the attack, the referee, Mario Yamasaki, repeatedly warned Silva not to hit the back of the head. When Prater appeared to go unconscious and could no longer intelligently defend himself, Yamasaki stepped in and stopped the fight. Although Silva appeared victorious, Yamasaki disqualified Silva for strikes to the back of the head. The disqualification was later upheld by the UFC.

Silva then faced Charlie Brenneman on June 8, 2012 at UFC on FX 3. Silva won the fight with a rear-naked choke late in the first round.

Silva faced Jon Fitch on October 13, 2012 at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After three rounds, Silva lost the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 29–28). The performance earned both participants Fight of the Night honors.

Silva signed with the UFC in early 2011. He was expected to make his debut against Mike Swick at UFC 134. However, on August 4, 2011, it was announced that Swick had to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury and was replaced by Luis Ramos. Silva won quickly via first round TKO due to punches.

Erick Vinicius Silva (born June 21, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Bellator MMA. A professional since 2005, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Jungle Fight, where he was the inaugural Welterweight Champion. He is also current UFC Bantamweight fighter Gabriel Silva's big brother.