“We felt that pressure” – Valmir Da Silva concedes anxiety got the better of him in ONE debut
Brazilian welterweight MMA fighter Valmir Da Silva admitted that he dropped the ball in his ONE Championship debut in February 2022 by allowing pressure to get the better of him en route to being knocked out in the opening round.
'Junior' took on former ONE welterweight MMA world champion Zebaztian Kadestam in his promotional debut and did not last long, KO'd barely 90 seconds into their catchweight (192.46 pounds) MMA clash.
In an interview with ONE Championship, the 28-year-old Manaus native opened up to what happened in his showdown against 'The Bandit,' saying:
"I had really been getting good victories with significant knockouts until my arrival at ONE. In the first fight, I fought a very experienced guy. Of course, we felt that pressure of being on a huge stage like ONE, and he ended up knocking me out."
Valmir Da Silva would bounce back in his next fight five months later, stopping South Korean Jin Tae Ho by submission in the second round.
He, however, was not able to sustain the momentum from the win, slumping to a opening-round submission loss to Australian-Tongan Isi Fitikefu in his last fight in April 2023.
It is a loss that he looks to redeem himself from when he returns to action on April 5 at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
He will be going up against veteran Japanese fighter Hiroyuki Tetsuka in a featured welterweight MMA clash. In the 'Japanese Beast,' Da Silva is up against an opponent who has won his last four fights, all by finishes.
ONE Fight Night 21 will air live in U.S. primetime on April 5. It will be free to viewers in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription.
Valmir Da Silva looking forward to touching gloves with Hiroyuki Tetsuka
Apart from redeeming himself from a loss in his previous fight, Valmir Da Silva is looking foward to plunging back into action at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on April 5 against Hiroyuki Tetsuka, who he looks up to as a fighter.
The Blacks MMA affiliate made this known in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how he admires the veteran Japanese fighter even before he joined ONE Championship in 2022.
'Junior' said:
"[Hiroyuki Tetsuka] is a guy I admire a lot. I already had watched his fights before I even joined the organization. I feel like a boy fighting among my idols."
At ONE Fight Night 21, Valmir Da Silva is out to swing back to the win column after losing in his previous fight in April last year to Australian-Tongan Isi Fitikefu by submission in the opening round.
The Tetsuka-Da Silva clash is part of the nine-fight event happening at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand and headlined by the lightweight kickboxing world championship batlle between reigning champion Regian Eersel of Suriname and French challenger Alexi Nicolas.