Noche UFC Winner Jean Silva Called Out By Ex-UFC Champion for Title Eliminator Fight

Following his big win at Noche UFC, Jean Silva has been called out by a former UFC champion for a potential featherweight title eliminator fight.

Last Saturday saw Silva return to headline Noche UFC for the second year in a row and take on Jose Delgado, who was stepping in to replace former Interim UFC Featherweight Champion Yair Rodriguez after the latter fighter withdrew from the event with an injury.

The 2025 edition of Noche UFC saw Silva suffer his first UFC loss when he was knocked out by Diego Lopes, but at Arizona’s Desert Diamond Arena the Brazilian closed out this year’s Noche UFC with a third-round submission of Delgado.

Jean Silva Called Out by Aljamain Sterling for UFC Title Eliminator Fight

Lopes’ victory over Silva earned him a second crack at UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski, and “Lord” is now on the short list for potential next contenders for the division’s belt following his latest win.

Jean Silva throws an elbow at Jose Miguel Delgado during Noche UFC at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The rest of the weight class will first have to wait and see how things play out when Volkanovski attempts to defend his title against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, but in the meantime Silva has received an offer for a possible title eliminator fight.

Alexander Volkanovski (red gloves) fights against Diego Lopes (blue gloves) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Taking to his Youtube channel in the days following Noche UFC, former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling detailed why he thinks a fight between himself and Silva is the ideal next move for both men.

Aljamain Sterling during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“I wanna give him the fair opportunity to heal, be ready, be the best version of himself – and I would love to have that fight,” Sterling explained. “I wanna fight the fight that makes the most sense, the biggest name, the fight that gets me somewhere…Heal up, let’s run this s*** back, let’s run this s*** for December, and we do this and see who’s the clear-cut number one contender.”

Ex-UFC Champion Aljamain Sterling is 3-1 Since Moving Up to Featherweight

Now four fights into his run as a UFC featherweight, Sterling exited the bantamweight division after he was knocked out by Sean O’Malley in his fourth attempt to defend the division’s belt at UFC 292.

Aljamin Sterling (red gloves) fights Sean O'Malley (blue gloves) during UFC 292 at TD Garden. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

That loss ended a nine-fight win streak for “Funk Master”, who returned to the win column as a featherweight at UFC 330 when he defeated Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision.

Aljamain Sterling (blue gloves) fights Calvin Kattar (red gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

After coming up short against upcoming featherweight title challenger Evloev later that year, Sterling has now won back-to-back fights after taking decisions over two-time title challenger Brian Ortega and Youssef Zalal.

Possible UFC Title Eliminator Would Be Huge Addition to UFC 335

A New York native, Sterling probably would have loved to be part of November’s UFC 334 show at Madison Square Garden but clearly understands that might represent too quick of a turnaround for Silva given the he just fought.

Jean Silva leaves the Octagon after winning during Noche UFC at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Instead, the a fight between the two featherweight stars would be a major addition to UFC 335, which is set to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on December 12 as the UFC’s final show of 2026.

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