If you’re looking purely on athletic credentials, Alex ‘Little Rock’ Silva looks a surefire star in the ONE Championship strawweight division, and could be as little as one win away from a world title shot.
The Brazilian holds a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as well as a Copa Do Mundo BJJ World Championship.
Now, as a coach at Evolve MMA in Singapore, he’s rounding out his game among some of the best Muay Thai strikers in the world as he works his way towards a challenge for the ONE Strawweight World Title.
He’s in the perfect spot to launch his title campaign, but things were much tougher during his childhood in Ubatuba, Brazil, as he had to cope with bullies in the only way he knew how.
“Growing up as a kid in Brazil, you have to be think quickly on your feet,” he said. “I have great parents who really looked after me. They owned a little convenience store and worked a lot. I would help them run the shop as a kid.
“People always tried to bully me at school, but I always fought back. My parents had to come to school almost every day because I was in fights. That is actually why I started martial arts, to learn to protect myself.”
Like many kids of his generation, Silva’s first experience of martial arts came through the silver screen, and the martial arts movies of the time. But the high-speed action of the movies was fictional, and it took seeing the real-world application of Brazilian jiu-jitsu to inspire Silva to take up serious training.
“I was interested in martial arts since I was a kid,” he explained. “I loved martial arts movies, especially Bruce Lee. I did kung fu and capoeira first, but once I saw Royce Gracie, I wanted to learn BJJ.”
Silva took to the art like a duck to water. He progressed through the belt system and earned his black belt in 2007, eventually upgrading it to a second-degree black belt. He also picked up a Brazilian National Championship and the Copa Do Mundo Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, excelling at the grappling art.
“I love BJJ, because it changes people’s lives,” he explained. “It changed my life, and I have seen it change the lives of my students. Some people might think it looks weird at first, but once they try it, they get addicted. It is a lifestyle.
“BJJ gave me a lot of good things in life. It gave me confidence, made me healthy, and most of the friends I have are because of BJJ. It is amazing in helping people gain confidence and opening people up.”
After five years as a black belt, Silva sought out a new challenge, and swapped the mats for the cage as he looked to pursue a new competitive career.
Switching from pure grappling to the multi-discipline action of the cage offers a real leap in skillset, but Silva said it wasn’t as big a transition as some would believe.
“I feel like I have been doing martial arts my whole life,” he said. “I have over 250 BJJ matches, so after a while I was looking for the next challenge.”
Silva headed to Asia and started progressing up the strawweight ladder. Now, with a record of 5-1, he’s one of the best martial artists in the division.
His most recent outing saw him defeat former world title challenger Roy Doliguez via third-round armbar at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS to demonstrate his readiness to challenge the division’s best, and eventually, go for the title.
“It went the way I expected,” the Brazilian says. “I knew he was a tough guy, having competed for the belt before. I knew he had heavy hands, and that his grappling was good, because he had never been submitted until he met me.”
Silva’s next matchup will see him take on undefeated veteran Hayato Suzuki, a Japanese champion who also defeated a former world title challenger. In his last contest, Suzuki finished Joshua Pacio via first-round rear-naked choke.
The pair will meet at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD in Manila. It is a contest that is likely to determine the next challenger for the ONE Strawweight World Title, currently held by Yoshitako Naito.
“For me, every match is important,” said Silva. “Every match is a title shot for me. Every time I step into the cage, it is a big deal for me. All my matches are important, and I always give 100 per cent.
“I know I will be champion eventually, but actually my goal is to be the number one martial artist in my division in the world. That is what I focus on, but obviously, with that comes the belt.”
