Culibao falls short vs Silva via split decision in UFC

MANILA, Philippines – Now it's a problem. And there is much concern.

The good vibes and start of Filipino-Australian Joshua Culibao has faded as he lost to UFC debutante Danny Silva via split decision last Sunday, March 17, at the UFC Fight Night at the Apex in Las Vegas.

In a close match, Silva was given the nod and identical scores by judges Derek Cleary and Ron McCarthy, 29-28, while Sal D’Amato saw it the Fil-Aussie’s way, 29-28. Although media scoring doesn’t count in the final outcome, eight out of 10 notable media analysts also gave the nod to Silva. 

Culibao succumbed to the first two-match losing streak of his mixed martial arts career. In his previous match in July of 2023, he lost a unanimous decision to Briton Lerone Murphy. 

The losses have overshadowed the three-match win streak that followed his loss and draw that opened his UFC account against Jalin Turner and Charles Jourdain, respectively.  Culibao is now 3-3-1 in the UFC and 11-3 overall.

The 29-year-old has lost ground in his chase for the Top 15 rankings in the featherweight division and could find his next match to be crucial in securing a new UFC contract.

Several weeks ago, Filipino-Ecuadorian-American Ricky Turcios’ match was cancelled for undisclosed reasons against Raul Rosas Jr.

The next UFC event to be televised in the Philippines is UFC Fight Night” Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas that is scheduled for Sunday, March 24, at 7 a.m. on the Premier Sports channel on Sky Cable and Cignal as well as the streaming application Blast TV.