COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Losing taught [autotag]Josh Silveira[/autotag] just how much he loves the sport.
Silveira was eliminated by Omari Akhmedov in the 2022 PFL light heavyweight semifinals, which marked his first-career loss. He was able to rebound with three straight wins this year to punch his ticket to the finals.
Silveira (12-1) meets Impa Kasanganay (14-3) in the light heavyweight final Nov. 24 at 2023 PFL Championships, which takes place at The Anthem in Washington D.C. and streams live on ESPN+ PPV. The loss to Akhmedov was a tough pill to swallow for Silveira, but he used it as motivation going into this year.
“What I learned about myself was understanding that PFL sometimes when they put you in a $1 million situation, you might think, ‘Is this it? Is this the end?'” Silveira told MMA Junkie at a PFL media day on Wednesday. “I didn’t win the million. Do I move onto something else? Obviously in this situation, that’s not me. That’s what it taught me: It doesn’t matter if it’s for $1 million or a world championship, it’s about love.
“I love doing this, so I knocked the dust off my shoulders and I got back to what I love doing. It’s a blessed life I have. The loss is just a little speed bump in the road, but this is my life. My biggest nightmare is not doing MMA, not waking up and punching a guy in the face, and getting punched, kicked, being exhausted. This is just my life, and that was the biggest takeaway from it.”
Watch Silveira’s full pre-fight scrum in the video above.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championships.