Two of the top featherweight prospects in the UFC are set to throw down early next year. Making his first appearance of 2025, the swiftly rising Jean Silva (14-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) goes head-to-head with Armenian-born striker Melsik Baghdasaryan (8-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 245 this February. Riding the momentum from a rip-roaring performance versus Drew Dober this past July, Silva has the chance to further his position up the 145-lb ladder after a busy 2024. For Baghdasaryan, getting his hand raised will be a crucial moment for him since suffering a long period of inactivity stretching over 500 days at the time of this writing.
Silva Looks to Build Off of Perfect 2024 Slate
Coming off a superb unanimous decision win over Kevin Vallejos (a man who was then a two division champion in a different promotion) last year on Dana White’s Contender Series, Silva has since gone on to become a notable fan-favorite fighter within the company, as well as a prolific finisher. Kicking off his 2024 run with a thunderous first-round knockout of Westin Wilson, the Brazilian enjoyed a wholly productive summer season. In the span of less than a month, “Lord” brought down Charles Jourdain (becoming the first man to stop him via KO/TKO) at UFC 303, and also took home the biggest win of his career against Drew Dober up a weight class at UFC on ESPN 59.
DENVER, COLORADO – JULY 13: (L-R) Jean Silva of Brazil punches Drew Dober in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Ball Arena on July 13, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Melsik Baghdasaryan Back for First Time in 19 Months
Meanwhile, Baghdasaryan has been noticeably absent from the cage this year, having not competed at all since July 2023 when he turned away Tucker Lutz UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva. While he was scheduled for three different bouts in 2024 opposite William Gomis, Hyder Amil, and Muhammad Naimov, “The Gun” just couldn’t seem to make it to the show, as injuries and opponent withdrawals kept him perpetually on the sidelines. This will make his scrap with Silva his first contest in almost two years, a time where the Fighting Nerds product has already racked up four straight wins.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 15: (L-R) Melsik Baghdasaryan of Armenia punches Tucker Lutz in their featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night at UFC APEX on July 15, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
For the returning Baghdasaryan, it will surely be a thrilling moment to finally be able to step back onto the grandest stage in all of combat sports. However, he will surely have the toughest test of his UFC tenure so far, when he faces the always-dangerous Silva, a competitor who has not lost a bout since 2018. Either way, mixed martial arts fans around the world will undoubtedly be left on the edge of their seats as two of the best unranked strikers clash for their opportunity to move further up the totem pole in the highly-competitive featherweight class.
The pairing joins a stacked fight card in Seattle, which currently includes such exciting matchups like Ketlen Vieira vs. Macy Chiasson, Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia, and Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez.
