Whether you want to start from Caio Borralho’s entrance into the promotion in 2022 or their collective breakout in 2024 behind Borralho, Jean Silva, Carlos Prates and Mauricio Ruffy, what’s certain is they are resonating with the mixed martial arts fanbase.
The momentum has continued into 2025, thanks to Ruffy and Silva.
RELATED: Mauricio Ruffy Knocks Out King Green
Silva, who racked up three knockout wins in 2024, picked up another show-stopping finish to keep the Nerds’ party rolling when he steamrolled Melsik Baghdasaryan in the first round of their bout in Seattle. Ruffy followed that effort, securing his third UFC win in spectacular fashionwhen he knocked out King Green via wheel kick in the first round at UFC 313 in Las Vegas. It was exactly the kind of highlight-reel moment you’d want from a surging contender, as well as one a rising lightweight contender needs to distinguish himself in what is arguably UFC’s most competitive and highest-profile division.
Before Ruffy tallied his finish, however, his teammate Jean Silva arguably stole the show during fight week when UFC held a pre-fight press conference for UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes. Despite the names on the card—from Alexander Volkanovski to Paddy Pimblett, among the rest of the main card athletes—Silva played to the crowd, and they ate it up accordingly. Silva was happy to play both the face and heel against Bryce Mitchell, who remained stone-faced and serious amidst Silva’s barking and taunting, which included bringing a globe to the stage to reference Mitchell’s oft-mentioned belief that the earth is flat.
