Jean Silva corners Israeli teammate despite controversy

UFC featherweight Jean Silva traveled to Israel to corner teammate Ilay Barzilay despite knowing the trip would draw criticism back home in Brazil.

Barzilay faces Lucas Almeida at Gordon Fight Nights 1 on July 27 at Menorah Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, and Silva made the trip after no other Fighting Nerds teammates could attend. The Brazilian acknowledged online backlash over cornering an Israeli fighter amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict but said loyalty took precedence.

Silva defends decision to support longtime training partner

"I'm here 100% because of the fight of the Fighting Nerds fighter Illay, who's one of my main sparring partners," Silva wrote on X, per Sherdog. "Nobody could make it, and this fight could take him to the contender series. He shows up for all my fights, I knew it was gonna be controversial but I chose not to ditch my brother of many years."

Silva said the matchup carries weight for Barzilay's career trajectory. A victory over Almeida could land the Israeli on Dana White's Contender Series. Barzilay is 7-1 as a pro, with his lone setback coming in a Legacy Fighting Alliance lightweight title bout against Richie Miranda last August.

Almeida went 2-4 inside the UFC before his release in February following back-to-back losses. The Gordon Fight Nights card marks his first appearance since leaving the promotion.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Jean Silva’s Israel trip puts loyalty, fighting and politics in the spotlight