Josh Silveira seeks redemption, a title, and a $1 million prize in the 2024 PFL light heavyweight playoffs, aiming to avenge his previous loss to Impa Kasanganay and potentially rematch Rob Wilkinson.
Josh Silveira is on a mission for revenge, a championship belt, and a $1 million payday in the 2024 PFL light heavyweight playoffs.
Son of American Top Team head coach Conan Silveira, Josh faces off against Impa Kasanganay. Impa defeated him for the light heavyweight title in the 2023 season. This Friday’s PFL 8 card in Hollywood, Fla., promises to be a showdown. Silveira vows to be “a whole new Joshua” in their semifinal clash.
“I’m going to beat that guy, that’s for sure,” Silveira told MMA Fighting. “I’ve learned a lot from that fight.”
He continued, “Unfortunately, I lost at a crucial moment—a million dollars on the line, the belt—but that’s part of fighting.”
Impa has experienced setbacks too. Cut from the UFC after a bad loss, he didn’t want to feel that pain again. “It was my time to feel that pain,” Josh admitted, “and I’ve learned a lot.”
The unanimous decision loss to Kasanganay wasn’t Silveira’s first MMA defeat. However, his 2022 loss to teammate Omari Akhmedov felt different—”quite weird,” he said—so it didn’t sting as much.
“I didn’t have much chance to hit [Kasanganay] in the fight,” Silveira noted. “I think I felt the pressure of the moment and got tired. He did a good job.”
But now? “Thank God we’re here again.” Josh is eager for another shot at someone who bested him. “It will be very different this time around,” he promised.
“[Losing] is part of the sport. No champion—except Khabib [Nurmagomedov]—ends a career undefeated.” Josh knows loss is part of the game. “We have to learn from it and train for a different result next time.”
Kasanganay remains undefeated in PFL season and playoff matches. He only lost a split decision against Johnny Eblen in a champion vs. champion bout between PFL and Bellator titleholders.
In the 2024 regular season, Impa stopped Alex Polizzi and Jakob Nedoh. Josh promises an aggressive strategy this Friday.
“You’re going to see a man with attitude,” Silveira declared. “A man who doesn’t accept what happened last time.”
Josh added, “I’d rather get the KO or get knocked out; I’ll have to try. Last time there was too much pressure—it didn’t work out.” This time? “I’ll embrace everything I’m feeling and go in there to beat that guy.”
Silveira won his first fight of the 2024 season after Sadibou Sy suffered an injury just 74 seconds into their match in April.
However, he lost a split decision to Rob Wilkinson two months later. Despite this setback, he had enough points to advance to the playoffs.
Wilkinson advanced on the other side of the brackets against fellow ATT fighter Dovlet Yagshimuradov.
Silveira hopes his teammate Yagshimuradov makes it to the final as well but admits it would be sweeter to claim the PFL title by avenging two defeats.
“I feel like I won that fight,” Silveira said of his loss to Wilkinson. “But that’s something we can’t control.”
He felt like he was the aggressor against Wilkinson—a boxer known for knockouts who turned grappler that night.
“When I lost that fight, I didn’t feel that pain,” Josh reflected. Making it to the playoffs softened the blow.
He concluded, “To rematch him and Impa would make it a nice story—beating two guys who have defeated me.” Josh wants another shot at Wilkinson just to show everyone he won that fight.