Israeli MMA Fighter Ilai Barzilai to Compete at Menora Mivtachim Arena with UFC Support

At the end of July, a major MMA event will take place at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, featuring some of Israel's top fighters. The event is organized by the Gordon brothers and will showcase Israeli fighter Ilai Barzilai, who is set to face former UFC competitor Lucas Almeida. Barzilai announced that UFC fighter Jean Silva will be in his corner during the fight. Silva, who trains alongside Barzilai at the Fighting Nerds gym, has expressed strong affection for Israel and its people in previous interviews. Despite current heightened security tensions in Israel, Silva has agreed to travel to the country to support his training partner during the event week. Silva is currently ranked sixth in the featherweight division, having recently won a judges' decision against Arnold Allen. Prior to that, Silva suffered a knockout loss to Diego Lopez, which ended a 13-fight winning streak that began before his UFC debut.