Josh Silveira insists that he was never “coerced” into pursuing a career in mixed martial arts (MMA). However, his mother was vehemently against her son taking up fighting as a profession. Silveira, who has held both the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight and light heavyweight championships, revealed that his mother had pleaded with him to consider other options.

“My mother told me, ‘Son, please don’t pursue MMA. Try something else, instead’,” Silveira recounted. “I thought maybe I could become a doctor, but the sight of blood makes me nauseous. On the other hand, blood doesn’t faze me in the cage. Although, after fights where I won with head kicks, I sometimes look at my opponents’ faces and feel sorry. But it is all part of the sport. I’m not a cruel person [laughs].”

Silveira, whose father is Conan Silveira, the founder and head coach of American Top Team, signed with Professional Fighters League (PFL) in 2022. However, he was unable to reach the light heavyweight playoff finals after losing in a close decision to his teammate, Omari Akhmedov. Silveira kicked off the 2023 season with an impressive first-round submission of Sam Kei and is scheduled to face Delan Monte at PFL 4 in Atlanta on Thursday.

Conan Silveira, who was trained by the legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master, Carlson Gracie, had a sporadic professional fighting career spanning from 1995 to 2007, with a record of 6-4 and one no-contest. Nevertheless, Silveira Sr. enjoyed extensive success as a head coach in Florida.

The younger Silveira, a 30-year-old light heavyweight, dismissed the notion that his father had pressure him into fighting; in fact, he claimed that he was the only one among his siblings who was keen on taking up the sport.

“People always ask me, ‘Did your dad make you fight?’ But my father is the nicest guy,” he clarified. “He has coached numerous athletes during his career and knows what it takes to coach a fighter. However, I have many brothers and sisters, and only one of them wrestled a bit. My father never forced any of them to fight.