Edgar Chairez made a statement at UFC Fight Night 278 on Saturday, submitting Bruno Silva in the first round and walking away with a six-figure bonus.
Chairez finished Silva by rear-naked choke on the prelims at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, improving his record to 14-6 MMA and 4-2 UFC. Silva dropped to 15-9-2 MMA and 5-6 UFC with the loss. Chairez’s performance earned him a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Reflecting on the bout, Chairez said, "It was a tough fight. It was very, very close. It could have been different, but there's no 'could have'."
Chairez is now riding a three-fight winning streak over the past approximately 15 months, rebounding from a decision loss to Joshua Van in September 2024. Since then, Van captured the flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja and defended it against Tatsuro Taira a month ago.
Speaking about Van, Chairez said, "He is a good champin.n Obviously, he took it that day. He's been a good champion so far, a very good fighter. My moment will come, and you will see that." He added, "But I'll tell you: From what you're seeing right now, you can get a feel for what would be with Van-Chairez 2 — which will come one day."
