Turbulent exchange of blows
Shawn da Silva loses in the cage fight of super talents
March 31, 2024, 12:28 a.m
A series must break in the cage fight between Balinger Shawn da Silva and Lone’er Kavanagh. Both fighters only have victories in their careers. A thrilling fight develops – with the worse outcome for the German-Brazilian.
The Balingen mixed martial arts fighter Shawn da Silva lost the duel of super talents at Cage Warriors 169 in London against the British Lone’er Kavanagh on points (29-27, 30-27, 30-25). In the end, the dominance of the local heroes on the ground decided the fight between the two hitherto unbeaten flyweights.
There was a lot of hype about the duel in advance, as Kavanagh, who is known for his spin kicks, and da Silva, who dances in the cage, have a spectacular fighting style. And the audience shouldn’t be disappointed. Da Silva wanted to put pressure right away in the first round and used leg kicks. Kavanagh intercepted his usual quick advances several times with hard left hooks.
He sent the German-Brazilian to the ground twice, but he immediately got back up. With the third knockdown, the 28-year-old was in danger of losing the fight because the Brit followed up and was able to score more hits. In the clinch, da Silva saved himself into the second round.
Too strong on the ground
In the second round, da Silva found a better recipe against his 24-year-old opponent. The fighter from the Balinger Planet Eater Gym repeatedly bridged the distance and went into the clinch. Then it was a hail of elbows and hooks for Kavanagh. But the Brit had a strong moment with a powerful takedown towards the end of the round.
And the ground fight should ultimately be the deciding factor. Kavanagh repeatedly pushed da Silva against the cage fence and here the Briton showed slight strength advantages. He easily levered the German-Brazilian and threw him to the ground. There the Brit repeatedly tried to apply a submission hold, but Silva kept fending off the attempts. Ultimately, Kavanagh controlled the action in the final round and didn’t take any more risks. In the end there was a clear points victory for the Brit (he now has 6 wins, 0 defeats) – but also a fight full of ups and downs for da Silva, who suffered his first defeat in his seventh professional fight.