Video: Keyed on wins, UFC Fight Night 29's Thiago Silva out to defend home turf

UFC light heavyweight Thiago Silva has only fought three times in the past 31 months, and while most fighters would be discouraged by that, the lack of activity has given him a newfound respect for his time in the cage.

“I’m here to fight – it doesn’t matter who,” Silva told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “I just want to fight tough guys and here I am. I’m going to do my best; I’m going to fight as hard as I can as I always do.”

After spending over two years in and out of competition, Silva (15-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has finally settled back into a consistent fight routine, as his Wednesday night matchup against Matt Hamill at UFC Fight Night 29 in Brazil will be his second bout in four months.

Silva’s last trip to the octagon saw him score a first-round knockout over former Strikeforce champion Rafael Cavalcante in a performance that earned him an additional $100,000 for both “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night.”

Most fighters would be jubilant after earning a life-changing sum of money in one night, and while Silva was certainly thrilled, he was more satisfied by the victory than the check that came along with it.

“I like the money, but I fight to win,” Silva said. “I’m so happy because of the performance. I had a good performance and I proved to everyone I’m back, and I’m back in good condition. So that was the most important to me.”

Silva is eager to replicate his performance from four months ago when he meets Hamill (11-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in one of the featured bouts at UFC Fight Night 29, which takes place at Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and airs on FOX Sports 1.

“The Hammer” has been around the UFC since 2006 and is the owner of the third most completed takedowns and fourth most overall victories in divisional history.

Silva knows what defeating a fighter of Hamill’s stature would do for his career, and while he’s ready to compete for three high-paced rounds, the Brazilian will be searching for another quick finish in order to get back in the cage immediately.

“I’m ready to fight three rounds,” Silva said. “I always respect my opponent, but inside the cage I move forward and I try to finish the fight. I want to finish the fight of course in the first round, but as soon as I finish the fight it’s going to be better for me because I won’t get hurt and I want to fight again as soon as possible.”

While Silva’s last bout against Cavalcante also took place in Brazil, the matchup with Hamill goes down in the state of Sao Paulo, where Silva was born 30 years ago.

The homecoming only adds fuel to the fire for a very motivated Silva, and he absolutely refuses to allow a foreigner to come in and defeat him in front of his friends and family.

“That’s my territory, I like to defend my territory,” Silva said. “I’ll try to defend my territory like a lion.”

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

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