Jean Silva stole the spotlight at UFC 314 in Miami’s Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025. He submitted Bryce Mitchell with a ninja choke in the second round, extending his UFC win streak to five. At the press conference, fresh off his victory, Silva declared himself the people’s hero, addressing doubters and hyping his team. The featherweight bout carried extra heat after Mitchell’s controversial pre-fight comments, making Silva’s win a fan favorite.
Fight night recap
Silva’s winning moment
Silva came out sharp, landing quick jabs and slipping Mitchell’s takedowns. In round two, at 3 minutes and 52 seconds, he locked a ninja choke against the cage, forcing Mitchell to tap.
Right after winning, Silva spoke boldly at the press conference.
“Now, I’m pretty sure I’m the people’s hero,” he said. “If they needed one, Jean ‘The Lord’ Silva is here.”
Fans roared, fueled by Mitchell’s earlier Hitler-praising podcast remarks that Silva had called out.
He laughed off doubts about his grappling.
“Listen, me winning by submission? Whoever bet me, it’s time to share. If you bet on me, put it in my pocket. I want to make some money, as well. Do you bet on me? … I really didn’t know that. People really think I’m apparently not good at jiu-jitsu or grappling. It’s crazy because I’m Brazilian.”
Silva praised his Fighting Nerds gym.
“We’ve had a lot of different paths to victory,” he said. “We’ve had some that involved knockouts. We’ve had others that involved submissions. Some of them actually involved taking some damage.”
He touted his teammates’ rise.
“But it wasn’t interesting because we had all these different pathways to victory. We were very happy to actually be able to put them all together and make it happen and get it that way. If you look at it, it’s me now.”
Silva named his crew.
“You had me, and then you have Ruffy, and then you have Prates, and Prates and me again, and Prates is coming up. So get used to this. Get used to this. This is happening.”
His confidence pointed to a new wave of talent.
Silva’s win sets up big fights, maybe against Movsar Evloev or Aljamain Sterling. Mitchell needs to recover after his third loss in four fights. Silva’s hero claim signals a new star.
Speaking to Joe Rogan after the fight, Silva showed concern for his opponent.
“I’m sad for him. I’m sad for him. And you know what, I hope you all hope and pray and help out Bryce Mitchell because I don’t think he’s right in the head,” he said.
