UFC Fight Night 29's Erick Silva wants to blend tranquility with aggressiveness

While aggression is a natural trait of combat sports competition, some athletes incorporate it into their fighting style more successfully than others.

In the case of UFC welterweight Erick Silva, being aggressive and always looking to end the fight as quickly as possible has not only become his calling card, but has also turned him into one of the most consistently exciting fighters on the roster.

“I have a very active and aggressive style,” Silva told MMAjunkie.com. “I’ve always had this approach and it’s always complicated things for my adversaries. It’s my nature. I’ll keep doing it. It’s always worked for me.”

With five UFC contests under his belt, Silva (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) already has built a reputation as one of the division’s biggest first-round threats. His average fight time of 4:23 is the lowest among any active UFC fighter, and proves surviving his early onslaught is no easy task.

The next fighter who will try to overcome that task is Dong Hyun Kim, who meets “Indio” in the co-main event of “UFC Fight Night 29: Maia vs. Shields” Wednesday at Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil. All 10 preliminary and main card bouts will broadcast on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 5 p.m. ET.

Kim (17-2-1 MMA, 8-2) is by no means a slouch, but the product of South Korea has a very contrasting style to Silva in that all but one of his UFC victories have come by decision.

While Silva may be considered the more “dangerous” of the two fighters, he refuses to underestimate the skills “Stun Gun” brings to the table and has prepared accordingly.

“If at any point I start believing I’m superior to my opponents, I’ll quit training,” Silva said. “I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. I always keep in mind that the UFC has the best fighters in the world and that I always have to try my hardest. I always have to think that my opponents are better than I am.”

Throughout his UFC career, Kim has been successful in neutralizing and defeating quality opponents such as Matt Brown, T.J. Grant, Nate Diaz and Paulo Thiago.

All those fights have looked similar with the 31-year-old dominating top position until he drains his opposition’s fighting spirit or time runs out.

Silva is aware of that, and while some believe his aggressive style could fall right into Kim’s strategy, the Brazilian has faith in what brought him to the dance and is confident he’ll be able to overcome anything thrown his way.

“Dong Hyun Kim is a great athlete and he’ll certainly nullify my game if I make any mistake,” Silva said. “That’s why I have to anticipate him and make him play my game. My strategy is to first bring him into my game, before he has the chance to do it to me.”

As seen in his 71-second submission of Jason High in June, it only takes a minor error for Silva to pounce and end a fight in the blink of eye.

Never before has Silva been satisfied with a long, drawn-out three-round battle, and that hasn’t changed for his upcoming bout, which is exactly why Kim must be cautious at all times.

“I blend tranquility with aggressiveness,” Silva said. “The less time in the cage for me, the better. That’s why I’m so aggressive. I’m hoping for a knockout.”

If Silva is able to find his moment come Wednesday night, then there will surely be another clip worth adding to his growing highlight reel.

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 29, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.