10 Brazilians to Watch in 2011

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Erick “Indio” Silva (12-1, 1 NC)

Silva showed great versatility in 2010 on his way to becoming the first-ever Jungle Fight welterweight champion. In July, the 26-year-old scored a technical knockout in a tense match with the dreaded “Zezao Trator,” Jose Gomes de Ribamar. On Oct. 30, he won the belt by submitting a pair of dangerous opponents in one night. First, Silva tapped Gil de Freitas with a guillotine choke set up by a strong kick to the ribs. In the final, the Nogueira- and X-Gym-trained fighter needed only 67 seconds to submit Francisco Ayon with an arm-triangle choke. Silva has been noted by sparring partner Anderson Silva as a future 170-pound contender in the UFC, and could follow in the footsteps of fellow Jungle Fight champion Yuri “Marajo” Alcantara, who made a successful Zuffa debut in December.

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