Preview: PFL 4 ‘Loughnane vs. Pinedo’

Light Heavyweights

Joshua Silveira (10-1, 2-1 PFL) vs. Delan Monte (9-4, 1-3 PFL)

Silveira appears primed to make a run at a PFL championship after falling to UFC veteran Omari Akhmedov on short notice in the 2022 postseason. He kicked off that run in earnest at PFL 1, where he submitted an overmatched Sam Kei with a rear-naked choke in the opening stanza. The former two-division Legacy Fighting Alliance champion has only been competing professionally since 2019, so it seems natural that he will demonstrate significant improvement with each bout. As it stands, Silveira is a good athlete with skills to succeed anywhere a fight goes. He is a former Pac-12 champion wrestler at Arizona State University, and when combined with a skilled submission game honed under his father, Marcus “Conan” Silveira, it makes him a formidable adversary on the canvas. On the feet, he throws kicks well for an athlete his size, and his clinch game includes knees and trips to get his opponent to the floor.

Outside of a first-round finish of 2019 PFL champ Emiliano Sordi, Monte has struggled during his league tenure. The Brazilian has racked up finishes on the regional scene, but his willingness to brawl leaves him open during exchanges, and more recently, he struggled against the takedowns and control of Ty Flores at PFL 1, where his opponent did not succumb to his power in the early going.

Silveira is a still-developing talent, but he is quick to capitalize on an opponent’s mistake, particularly in the grappling aspect of a fight. As has been the case in most of his fights, Monte’s best hope is to force a brawl and clip Silveira early. However, it seems just as likely that Silveira hurts him in an exchange and even more probable that the American Top Team export finds an opening to exploit on the canvas when Monte gets too reckless. Silveira finishes this inside two rounds to punch his ticket to the postseason.

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