Now on 12-fight finishing streak, Luis Henrique da Silva will fight 'tomorrow' if UFC calls

PORTLAND, Ore. – Luis Henrique da Silva kept up with his fight-finishing tradition on Saturday, though not quite the way many would expect.

After stopping first 11 opponents with strikes, still-undefeated da Silva (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) used a second-round armbar  to end his UFC Fight Night 96 light-heavyweight scrap with Joachim Christensen (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to secure his career’s first submission win.

Off to an auspicious octagon start,  “Frankenstein” described his current state of bliss.

“I feel very, very, very happy with the opportunity the UFC gave me to fight once again this year,” da Silva said. “And to me, it’s a dream come true to win via submission, which had never happened. It’s pure joy.”

The bout closed out the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 96 event at Moda Center in Portland, Ore. It aired on FS2 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FS1.

While da Silva, a jiu-jitsu purple belt, upset Christensen on the ground, the same can be said for his black belt opponent’s striking game. In true “Frankenstein” fashion, the Brazilian 205-pounder saw himself having to eat a few well-timed strikes before securing his win – and he’s got the scrapes and bruises to show for it.

But, while impressed with his opponent’s striking accuracy, da Silva never expected to have an easy time.

“He has a very good straight punch (and) a very accurate right hand, and he caught me with that strike,” da Silva said. “Thankfully, I was prepared for the ground as well.

“I’d seen a few of his fights, and I believe that he made it to the UFC with his merits. He’s a great fighter, one of the toughest I’ve ever fought, and I didn’t expect anything less than that.”

Twelve career wins and 12 finishes later, da Silva isn’t about to start callig out people. For his next UFC scrap, the 205-pounder said he’ll take on whomever the promotion deems appropriate.

But, whatever their decision is, he just hopes it’s soon. In fact, if they need him to jump on a plane to Manchester ahead of this Saturday’s UFC 204 event, he’s more than happy to oblige.

“No doubt,” da Silva answered when asked about the possibility of a quick turnaround for Nov. 19’s UFC Fight Night 100 event in Sao Paulo.  “Even tomorrow. If they put me next week, I’m in.”

“I expect to fight whomever the UFC matches up against me. I never picked opponents, and I’m not about to start now. When the people and the UFC believe I have the conditions to fight a ranked opponent, I’m at their disposal.”

As for what we can expect moving forward – more surprise submissions, perhaps – “Frankenstein” has a pretty simple response.

“It’s MMA; we have to be ready for everything,” he said.

For more on da Silva’s thoughts on his first submission win, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 96, check out the UFC Events section of the site.