Three years removed from competition, former UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Silva makes his return to action against a familiar face.

Silva (21-9) will share the cage at Eagle FC 47 with former teammate and current BKFC champion Hector Lombard on Friday at FLXcase Arena in Miami. Lombard (34-10-1) recently told MMA Junkie about the tough training sessions he and Silva shared at American Top Team, which the hard-hitting Brazilian confirmed.

“Hector was a great teammate, to be honest,” Silva told MMA Junkie Radio. “A lot of respect for him too. He’s always up to training hard, he never gives up. I think that’s gonna be a battle. I don’t want to underestimate Hector, but I know my potential and I’m coming hard on him too. As he comes hard, he’s coming hard on me, and it’s gonna be a battle, you know? It’s gonna be like two trucks hitting each other.”

Silva, 39, has been on the sidelines recently due to a number of hand injuries, but is finally healed and ready to fight his way back into the win column after dropping his two previous outings against Ivan Shtyrkov and Martin Zawada.

While he remembers his training days against Lombard, he knows that people change over the years. However, in this case, he knows he will be pressing forward and expects Lombard to do the same, which would be just like their days in the training room together.

“People evolve, people change a lot over the years, I change a lot too,” Silva said. “What’s in the past is gonna stay in the past. You never know what – anything can happen in this fight, you know? We’re wearing small gloves. One mistake you make, it can cost the fight, you know?

“So, like I said, I’m ready to fight. I’m gonna fight hard, I won’t move it back. Everybody knows my style, I push forward. Hector is an aggressive fighter too, he’s gonna push forward, and let’s see what’s gonna happen.”

Check out the full interview with Silva in the video above.