The MMA world is mourning the death of veteran fighter Jay Silva, who has died at the age of 45.
Fame MMA, the last promotion Silva competed for, announced his passing Monday in a social media post. A cause of death was not immediately revealed.
Silva, known to fight fans by the nickname “Da Spyda Killa,” built a long and hard-fought career across several major mixed martial arts promotions. Over the course of 27 professional fights, he compiled a record of 12 wins, 14 losses and one draw.
His professional MMA career began in 2008, and it did not take long for him to reach the sport’s biggest stage.
Silva fought in the UFC between 2009 and 2010. He faced C.B. Dollaway in his UFC debut and later stepped into the Octagon against Chris Leben. Silva lost both fights by unanimous decision, but his willingness to take on tough opponents helped him remain a recognizable name among longtime MMA fans.
After his UFC run, Silva continued competing around the world.
He later fought for Bellator MMA and challenged for middleweight gold in KSW, one of Europe’s most prominent MMA organizations.
Silva shared the cage with several well-known fighters during his career, including Hector Lombard, Kendall Grove, Sam Alvey and Mariusz Pudzianowski. His résumé reflected the grind of a fighter who kept taking on dangerous names long after his time in the UFC ended.
His final professional fight came on April 5, 2025, under the Fame MMA banner. Silva lost that bout to Denis Labryga by unanimous decision.
News of Silva’s death quickly spread across the fight community, where fans remembered him as a veteran who fought in some of the sport’s biggest organizations and never backed away from a challenge.
While the cause of death has not been released, his passing marks the loss of another fighter from an era when MMA was rapidly growing into a global sport.