UFC signs top-ranked flyweight fighter Jussier da Silva to contract

One of the most glaring omissions in the burgeoning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight division has just been corrected.

Nova Uniao's Jussier da Silva (14-1), according to manager Andre Pederneiras and the man himself, has just signed with the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, adding yet another intriguing element to the growing 125-pound division.

Da Silva, better known as "Formiga" ("ant" in Portuguese), burst onto the scene with an upset decision win over then-top dog Shinichi "BJ" Kojima back in 2009, usurping his place as number one in the division. Da Silva has since gone 7-1, his sole loss coming at the hands of UFC contender Ian McCall with a win over Mamoru Yamaguchi following immediately after.

"Formiga" packs a nasty grappling game, with his airtight back control of particular note. While he struggled for a long time with finishing from there, his last four victories have come via tapout.

With McCall, Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson at the top and guys like "Formiga," Chris Cariaso and John Dodson in the wings, the 125-pound division is turning into a shark tank at breakneck speed.

awesome news but are we sure they really signed him?

did no one else see this???

Lol

Fucking finally. Now he needs to jump on Mongoose and Useless. Fill that division up.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/29779/ulysses-gomez-isnt-fighting-jussier-da-silva-at-ufc-153-but-hes-willing.mma
Ulysses Gomez (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) hasn't signed with the UFC, and he's not fighting fellow flyweight Jussier da Silva (14-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 153 in Brazil.

The former Tachi Palace Fighting flyweight champion and recent TPF bantamweight titleholder today joined MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) and addressed reports of the rumored fight.

"I can confirm the fight isn't happening," he said. "It kind of snowballed, but my manager, Jason House of Iridium Sports Agency, let (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby know if they need someone, I'll take it."

In a recent video, da Silva announced he has signed with the UFC. The world's former No. 1 flyweight, whose only career loss came to Ian McCall in early 2011, is riding a five-fight win streak and adds significant depth to the organization's new flyweight division. But Gomez said a recent tweet in which he said he would fight "Formiga" was taken to mean he is fighting him.

"I felt kind of like a douche bag saying it's not true," Gomez, who fights under the "Useless" nickname, said. "But yeah, it's not true."

Gomez most recently won the Tachi bantamweight belt from Cody Gibson. The December victory marked his seventh in his past eight fights, and the lone defeat came to Darrell Montague.

Gomez obviously wants to be in the UFC. He said that desire became even stronger when he recently attended the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas and walked around almost completely unnoticed by fans.

But he hopes a long-awaited UFC debut doesn't come against da Silva if and when he signs.

"I would fight him," Gomez said. "He's not my first choice, but I'd fight him. We're friends.

"He's really hard to dislike. He's really nice. He's not one of those guys with mohawks and tattoos and everything. He's got a family. He's a good guy."

As for Gomez, he's simply waiting and hoping for a call from the UFC. After all, as a top lighter-weight fighter, it can be a tough business outside the UFC.

"Everyone says I'm one fight away from the UFC," he said. "But it's been hard to book that fight."

Please Dana, Mongoose and Useless.

Mongoose at least. Gomez would be pretty lucky to get the call though. Darrel noobed up Gomez pretty bad when the fought something like 50-43. I remember Rambaa Somdet scored like 8 knockdowns against him in a bantamweight fight also, not bad for someone who has no place being talked about in the flywieght discussion. While being the current 135 pound TPF champ is good, Cody Gibson is not and Gomez lacks a good win. He was dominated both times he fought good fighters.

He is a very good fighter to help add depth and gauge other fighters. He is still a borderline top 10 fly and talented enough to warrant an UFC roster spot IMO. They need talent at fly, he helps with that.