Calling Andrian Mattheis Not A Dangerous Opponent, Alex Silva: 100 Percent I Am A Better Fighter Than Him

Former ONE Strawweight world champion Alex Silva (Photo: Antara)

Jakarta - Former ONE Strawweight world champion Alex Silva said that Adrian Mattheis, who will be his opponent at ONE 158 in Singapore on Friday, is not a dangerous opponent, even though the Brazilian fighter was defeated by the Indonesian fighter nicknamed the Papua Badboy.

Adrian Mattheis in ONE Championship match, 11 March, successfully defeated Alex Silva via technical knockout (TKO) in the second round. It's just that the match was considered controversial because the referee was considered too quick to stop the match.

"Not. He is not included (the most dangerous opponent). You know I have a lot of respect for him, and so do all the athletes in this division," said Alex Silva in an official statement from ONE Championship on Sunday.

"It's just that I have played a lot of other athletes like World Champion (Joshua) Pacio which ended in split decisions in the Philippines. At that time, I controlled the game. But that's okay, the most important thing is to respect the opponent, "continued the 39 year old man.

Adrian Mattheis' career in MMA is indeed on the rise. With a 10-5 streak in the professional realm, the man from Sorong, West Papua, has won eight of his last 10 bouts at ONE.

Even more special, only one of his total 10 victories was achieved through a jury decision. He won five victories via KO/TKO, while the other four were through lockdown.

However, it is not considered a special note for Alex Silva. Despite respect for Adrian Mattheis, he feels he is on a different level to his opponent and will prove that in the upcoming matches.

"One hundred percent I am a better fighter than him. I have a lot of respect for Adrian. He is a good boy. In the first match, I believe that his biggest strength is the motivation to win over a fighter like me who is a former world champion," said Silva.

Adrian Mattheis admits that Silva is his idol. Even the man from Brazil was the inspiration that pushed him to pursue a career in MMA. As a black belt owner and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) world champion, Silva is indeed highly respected, especially in locking up opponents. Evidently, nine of his 11 victories were achieved through lockdown.