What's new at Ludus Martial Arts

We’re so proud of our team! Find out how they’ve been doing, as well as what else has been going on at our gym lately.

Claudio Silva didn’t retire when people wanted him to – and persistence paid off

nt"

LIVERPOOL, England – With more than three and a half years gone by since his last fight, even Claudio Silva’s biggest fans – some of his family members – were pushing him to call it quits.

Those who were telling him to hang up the gloves as the calendar marched onward without him in the cage probably are eating their words now. On Sunday, Silva (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) finally returned and pulled off a big upset with a first-round submission of Nordine Taleb (14-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 130.

UFC Fight Night 130 took place at Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. It aired on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. And it was a home fight of sorts for Silva, a Brazilian who also calls London home.

“The last four years have been hell,” Silva said after the fight. “I was coming from two UFC victories, so that fight was supposed to happen four years ago. I broke my foot in 2015, and then in two months’ time, I broke another one. That’s so emotional for me. This comeback means everything to me.

“My family was telling me, ‘Just give up. What are you doing with your life? You have two UFC victories.’ But man, this is everything to me.”

Before his bonus-winning rear-naked choke over Taleb, Silva most recently had fought in front of his home fans in Uberlandia, Brazil, and took a split decision from Leon Edwards way back in November 2014. That win came on the heels of his promotional debut, a unanimous decision over Brad Scott in London in March 2014.

Sunday, with the tap of Taleb, he ran his winning streak to 12 fights – he hasn’t lost since his pro debut in 2007. And it was good old-fashioned jiu-jitsu that got the job done for his first submission in more than seven years.

“If you attack the neck, there’s no way to run away,” Silva said. “He can be strong, he can be whatever, but if he doesn’t tap, he’ll go sleep-sleep. Have sweet dreams.”

With injury problems seemingly behind him, and the momentum of an upset win in his comeback fight, Silva said he wants to take a short breather and then get back to work.

After all, he probably wants to keep proving to anyone who said he should retire that they were wrong.

“I would never give up,” he said. “I would never quit my job. Martial arts is what I breathe. This is my religion. I want to fight more than I want to live. I want to fight more than I want to breathe. I want to take some time off, and then I can’t wait to come back and feel that adrenaline, that feeling again.”

For more from Silva, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 130, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

UFC free fight: Charles Oliveira rallies to light up Michael Chandler for first title win

Charles Oliveira proved he had championship mettle when he battled through some early adversity against Michael Chandler. Oliveira faced Chandler for the vacant lightweight title in the main event of UFC 262 in May 2021. It took “Do Bronx” 28 octagon appearances to earn his first-career title shot. Round...

Javier Mendez disagrees with Daniel Cormier’s claim that Islam Makhachev more dangerous than Khabib Nurmagomedov

For Javier Mendez, Islam Makhachev is more skilled than Khabib Nurmagomedov but not more dangerous. Daniel Cormier, who also trained under Mendez at American Kickboxing Academy, said UFC lightweight champion Makhachev is even more dangerous than former champ Nurmagomedov was during his prime. Mendez heavily disagrees. “OK, he’s more...

come and try a ludus mma class free!

We want to make sure that Ludus MMA is the right fit for you before asking you to commit to a membership.
That’s why we’d like to offer you a FREE ONE-DAY PASS to our gym.

With your FREE PASS, you can:

  • Try as many classes as you’d like,
  • Explore the facility
  • Talk to our coaches one-on-one about what you can expect as a member

© Copyright 2024 - Ludus Martial Arts - 730 Beach Blvd, Unit 105, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250.

(904) 374-4186 / ludusmartialarts@gmail.com