Patricio Pitbull accuses Jean Silva of avoiding him

Patricio Pitbull believes Jean Silva is avoiding a fight with him. The former Bellator two-division champion called out the Brazilian immediately after knocking out Doo Ho Choi at UFC 331 last Saturday, but Silva later rejected the matchup.

Patricio Pitbull Suggests Jean Silva is Avoiding Him

Pitbull is coming off his first UFC knockout, stopping Choi in the opening round to improve to 2-2 in the promotion. The victory prompted him to call for a fight with Silva, who has won seven of his eight UFC appearances and recently submitted Jose Delgado at Noche UFC 4. Pitbull believes Silva's performance against Delgado showed openings he could have exploited.

"Mark my words, I'm going to knock out everyone they put in front of me," Pitbull told The Ariel Helwani Show. "I think our styles match up and we can have a great fight. It could be a war, or it could be easy for me or for him. He's in a great position right now, and I think he's avoiding me. I had a great performance last Saturday and now I say his name, let's see. He was frozen for three minutes (against Delgado), and the guy was almost knocking him out. If that was me, he was done. I believe I can beat him, that's why I challenged him."

Despite Silva's rejection, Pitbull says he is willing to face whoever the UFC puts in front of him. The former Bellator champion is coming off his first UFC finish and is confident he can continue beating the division's top fighters. At 39 years old, the Brazilian holds a 38-9 professional record.

Silva, meanwhile, has been campaigning for a title shot since submitting Delgado on Sept. 12. The No. 5-ranked featherweight has no date or opponent for his return to the Octagon.