Exclusive: Jean Silva explains why he waited rather than finish Melsik Baghdasaryan

Four finishes in four UFC fights. That’s Jean Silva’s impressive record so far.

His latest victim? Melsik Baghdasaryan in the first round at UFC Fight Night last month. But instead of following up on his grounded opponent, the Brazilian turned to the referee.

"There's a popular saying in Brazil, you're not supposed to kick someone when he's down," Silva told DAZN News. "You don't kick someone on the ground.

"At that moment, he was down. He was not knocked down. But all his body language made me understand that he was done. He wanted to quit. That's why there was this little pause."

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Out of respect for his opponent, Silva opted to wait after the knockdown rather than delivering unnecessary damage.

"And I also said that back in the day in Rome, where there were gladiators, it was like until death. But matchmaking today is more about sports.

"I have that sensitivity in order to say, 'He’s done. Should I continue?' So I looked at the referee and then the referee signaled to me, 'Go ahead, finish him.'"