Bruno Silva Bio
Bruno Arruda da Silva, known in competition as “Blindado,” is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist born on July 13, 1989, in Cajazeiras, Paraíba, Brazil. He is a former M-1 Global Middleweight Champion and competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Standing 6 feet 0 inches tall with a 74-inch reach, Silva is recognized for his submission skills and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Silva turned professional in 2010 and has built a record of 23 wins and 13 losses across 36 bouts, with victories split between submissions, decisions, and knockouts. He has trained out of Evolução Thai since 2014, the same camp that helped shape his rise through the regional Brazilian circuit and into international competition.
Early Life and Background
Bruno Arruda da Silva was born on July 13, 1989, in Cajazeiras, a small city in the interior of the state of Paraíba in northeastern Brazil. The region had limited infrastructure for combat sports during his youth, which made formal training opportunities difficult to come by. Despite those conditions, Silva found his way into martial arts as a young adult.
He started training in 2009, and after just three months, he stepped into competition for the first time. His entry into the sport began largely out of curiosity, since fighting culture was not deeply rooted in his hometown. The early phase of his development, however, was shaped by personal hardship when his father passed away during that same formative period. Silva has described martial arts as a form of therapy that helped him navigate that loss.
Path to MMA
After turning professional in 2010, Bruno Arruda da Silva spent his first years competing on the Brazilian regional circuit, where he balanced fighting with work in other professions. He went 6-5 across his first 11 professional contests between 2010 and 2012, learning the demands of consistent training while supporting himself. He eventually built a 9-5 record on the regional scene, which earned him a chance to try out for a major promotion.
In 2013, Silva auditioned for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, advancing to the preliminary round before being knocked out by Vitor Miranda and eliminated from the season. Although the tryout ended his run on the show, it marked a turning point. From that point forward, he rattled off 14 wins across his next 16 outings, a stretch that opened the door to promotions in Russia and eventually the UFC.
Bruno Silva Career
Early Career (2010–2012)
Bruno Arruda da Silva made his professional debut in 2010 at Middleweight and quickly experienced the learning curve of regional fighting in Brazil. Between 2010 and 2012, he posted a 6-5 record across 11 contests, with his early finishes coming primarily by way of submission. Those results reflected a developing grappler still adjusting to the pace and discipline required at the professional level.
Throughout this stretch, Silva was based in northeastern Brazil and had to support his training with other jobs, given the absence of an established MMA structure in his hometown. He has credited the period after 2012 as the moment he began dedicating himself fully to his athletic career, a shift that coincided with a sharp uptick in his results.
Russian Circuit Breakthrough (2013–2018)
After his time on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, Bruno Arruda da Silva went on a run of seven wins against a single loss, performances that caught the attention of international promotions. He signed with Russian Cagefighting Championship and made his promotional debut against Gennadiy Kovalev at RCC 2 on February 24, 2018. Silva won the fight via first-round knockout, announcing himself on the Russian stage in emphatic fashion.
He then signed with M-1 Global and faced Alexander Shlemenko at M-1 Challenge 93 – Shlemenko vs. Silva on June 1, 2018, winning again by first-round knockout. That victory set up a title opportunity against Artem Frolov for the M-1 Global Middleweight Championship at M-1 Challenge 98 – Frolov vs. Silva on November 2, 2018. Silva claimed the belt via fourth-round technical knockout, becoming the M-1 Global Middleweight Champion.
UFC Era (2019–2025)
In May 2019, it was announced that Bruno Arruda da Silva had signed with the UFC. A scheduled debut against Deron Winn at UFC Fight Night 154 fell through when Silva was flagged for a potential anti-doping violation by USADA. He was eventually suspended for two years after testing positive for boldenone and became eligible to return to competition in June 2021.
Silva made his UFC debut against Wellington Turman at UFC on ESPN 25 on June 19, 2021, winning via first-round knockout. He followed that with a third-round technical knockout of Andrew Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 195 on October 16, 2021, earning the Performance of the Night award. A first-round TKO of Jordan Wright at UFC 269 on December 11, 2021, brought him a second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus.
Silva then faced Alex Pereira at UFC Fight Night 203 on March 12, 2022, losing by unanimous decision across three rounds. He dropped a guillotine choke submission to Gerald Meerschaert at UFC on ESPN 41 on August 13, 2022, and was later pulled from a December 2022 booking against Albert Duraev due to injury. He returned with a first-round TKO of Brad Tavares at UFC Fight Night 222 on April 22, 2023, his third Performance of the Night award, before being submitted in the first round by Brendan Allen at UFC on ABC 5 on June 24, 2023.
Silva dropped a unanimous decision to Shara Magomedov at UFC 294 on October 21, 2023, and lost a third-round TKO to former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30, 2024. After a reported positive test for an anabolic steroid in April 2024, he was handed a six-month suspension and returned at UFC 308 on October 26, 2024, losing a unanimous decision to Ismail Naurdiev. Silva most recently fought Marc-André Barriault at UFC 315 on May 10, 2025, missing the Middleweight limit by one pound and losing by first-round knockout. On May 15, 2025, it was reported that Silva was removed from the UFC roster.
Style and Strengths
Bruno Arruda da Silva is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and his record shows the influence of that grappling base, with seven of his 23 wins coming by submission. He has also demonstrated finishing power on the feet, with one knockout and several technical knockout victories to his credit. His camp, Evolução Thai, has supplemented his ground game with striking development, helping him put together rapid-fire finishes during his UFC run.
Notable Events and Milestones
Silva’s signature run came in the Russian circuit, where he captured the M-1 Global Middleweight Championship with a fourth-round TKO of Artem Frolov in November 2018. In the UFC, he became a fan favorite for his finishing ability, earning three Performance of the Night awards in wins over Andrew Sanchez, Jordan Wright, and Brad Tavares.
Bruno Silva Career Wins
Bruno Arruda da Silva has accumulated 23 professional victories across 36 bouts, with seven wins by submission, four by decision, one by knockout, and one by disqualification. His finishes are spread across regional, Russian, and UFC competition, and he has been recognized with multiple Performance of the Night bonuses at the highest level of the sport.
UFC Highlights
Silva debuted in the UFC with a first-round knockout of Wellington Turman in June 2021, one of three first-round finishes he produced during his promotional tenure. He also stopped Andrew Sanchez and Jordan Wright in late 2021, performances that earned him back-to-back Performance of the Night awards, and added a first-round TKO of Brad Tavares in April 2023 for a third bonus. His most recent UFC win came against Tavares, as his subsequent appearances ended in defeat.
Other Wins and Performances
Before joining the UFC, Bruno Arruda da Silva posted a 9-5 record on the Brazilian regional circuit and built a 7-1 run that included his first-round knockout debut in the Russian Cagefighting Championship. He capped that stretch by winning the M-1 Global Middleweight Championship, the most prominent title of his career outside the UFC.
Bruno Silva Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Bruno Arruda da Silva grew up in Cajazeiras, Paraíba, a small city in northeastern Brazil with limited combat-sports infrastructure during his youth. The loss of his father shortly after he began training in 2009 was a defining moment, one that pushed him to use martial arts as a form of therapy and to commit more fully to the sport.
Personal Life
Silva has a daughter with his fiancée, a detail that has been shared publicly in connection with his life outside of competition. He has been based in Brazil for much of his professional career and has continued to train out of Evolução Thai since 2014.
2025 Season Performance
Bruno Arruda da Silva entered 2025 looking to rebuild momentum following a 2024 stretch that included a six-month USADA suspension tied to an anabolic steroid test. His lone 2025 appearance came against Marc-André Barriault at UFC 315 on May 10, 2025, where he weighed in one pound over the Middleweight non-title limit and was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to Barriault. Silva lost the bout by first-round knockout via elbows and punches.
On May 15, 2025, it was reported that Silva had been removed from the UFC roster, ending his tenure with the promotion. Given his departure from the UFC, his competitive outlook for the remainder of 2025 remains uncertain, and any return to major-event competition would likely come through another organization.
