James Krause steps in as short-notice replacement opponent on Fight Island against Claudio Silva

UFC welterweight James Krause will step up on short notice when he takes on veteran Claudio Silva at an upcoming UFC Fight Island event.

Silva was set to take on Muslim Salikhov, but the fight is off after Salikhov was forced to withdraw from the event. In his place will step in Krause, who has accepted the fight on just 13 days’ notice. MMAFighting.com was the first to report the news of the fight and Krause later confirmed the bout in a post on his Instagram page. Krause vs. Silva will take place on the prelims of the October 17 Korean Zombie vs. Brian Ortega card in Abu Dhabi.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CF7ewkuHcbs/

Glad to get a full camp for this one 13 days out but always down for a party. See you soon Claudio

Krause (27-8) has been a pro since 2007 when he made his debut as a 21-year-old fighter for Titan FC. After winning the first 10 fights of his MMA career, Krause was signed by the WEC in 2009 and lost to future UFC stars Donald Cerrone and Ricardo Lamas. He bounced around several promotions including Bellator after that, before finally landing in the UFC in 2013. In his Octagon debut at UFC 161, Krause won two bonuses (“Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night”) for his third-round submission win over Sam Stout.

Following the win over Stout, Krause lost via controversial body kick TKO to Bobby Green. He then defeated Jamie Varner via injury TKO before losing to Jorge Masvidal and Valmir Lazaro by decision. Krause then went on a long winning streak, picking up six straight victories over the likes of Warlley Alves and Daron Cruickshank, while also competing on The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption. However, the 34-year-old veteran’s long winning streak was snapped when he lost a controversial split decision to rival Trevin Giles at UFC 247.

As for Silva, the Brazilian is 14-1 in his MMA career and he holds an unbeaten record of 5-0 in the UFC that includes a notable split decision win over Leon Edwards. At age 38, Silva is no spring chicken. But this is a fighter who has not lost since his MMA debut way back in 2007, so despite not having as big of a name as Krause does, don’t count Silva out here in this spot as he is a very underrated fighter who has flown under the radar for many years.

Who do you think wins, James Krause or Claudio Silva?