Prediction: Marc-Andre Barriault inside the distance
Silva is a shell of the fighter he once was. The explosive killer who used to pressure with real intent and swing with vicious, fight-ending power has been replaced by a flat-footed, one-dimensional brawler whose only remaining weapon is raw punching power—and even that’s not landing the way it used to. His timing is off, his durability is compromised, and the overall urgency in his game is just gone.
His cardio no longer supports a sustained pace, and more importantly, he doesn’t have the same resilience when pressured. Mentally and physically, Silva doesn’t respond well to adversity anymore. If he doesn’t land something big early, he quickly starts to look like a guy who’s checked out mid-fight. That’s a huge problem when facing someone like Barriault, who thrives on dragging opponents into deep water.
Barriault isn’t flashy, but he’s one of the most durable and relentlessly paced fighters in the middleweight division. He pushes forward constantly, throws in volume, mixes up the body and head well, and breaks opponents with attritional pressure. What makes him especially dangerous for someone like Silva is that he doesn’t give you time to breathe. He forces you to fight every second of every round—and Silva, at this stage in his career, simply can’t keep that kind of pace.
Barriault will likely absorb the early heat, force Silva backwards, and start piling on volume—jabs, hooks, knees in the clinch, body shots. Silva, who doesn’t move his head and has never had much of a defensive shell, will get tagged over and over. And when Silva starts to fade—which he will—Barriault will smell blood and ramp it up even further. He’s got that dog in him, the kind that doesn’t let up once he knows you’re breaking. We’ve seen it multiple times: once Silva starts getting hit clean repeatedly and his power isn’t buying him respect, he mentally checks out. He shells up, stops throwing, and survives if he can—but he doesn’t bite down and push back anymore.