Fighter vows to quit the UFC if he loses against current champion
Jean Silva says he will walk away from the UFC forever if he loses a fight to Alexander Volkanovski.
The Brazilian, 29, has won six out of his seven fights since being signed to the UFC by Dana White in 2023.
He won his contract after winning series seven, week five of Dana White's Contender Series.
His latest victory saw him defeat Arnold Allen via unanimous decision at UFC 324 in January.
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The Brazilian was present in London to watch Movsar Evloev earn his spot as the number one contender to Volkanovski's UFC Featherweight Championship by defeating Lerone Murphy at Fight Night 270.
But speaking on 'The Ariel Helwani Show', Silva claimed that he should be the one to fight Volkanovski for the title - and is that confident that he could win, he has declared he would quit the UFC in the event he lost.
"I have the formula for what a UFC champion should be," he said.
"This is more than just a fighting championship, this is a sports league. So whoever is at the front, that person has got to be able to bring the viewership. You've got to be able to promote the event.
"It's about audience interest. You have to really make sure you're bringing this in. I personally wouldn't sign up for Paramount just to watch Movsar fight for the belt.
"What does he [Volkanovski] want to do? 25 minutes of defending takedowns? My message to Volkanovski is this: Let's just stop all the BS, let's think straight about it. Let's go in, let's exchange some strikes.
"And I'll say more. If he wins, if Volkanovski wins, I'll leave the UFC. That's what I'll say."
Volkanovski last defended his Featherweight Championship against Diego Lopes, who defeated Silva via TKO in Texas last September.
Explaining his decision to fight Evloev, Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel: "How many times can I just keep not fighting the No.1 contender?
"He [Evloev] was already No.1, just fought No.3 ... Diego Lopes is No.2, but I've just fought him twice.
"So, these are the top two guys, and they had to face each other, and then you did have a winner. It's obviously clearly going to be Movsar. I'm a pretty easy champ to understand, and I will fight the best."
Ryan Smart