Silva was next slated to face Rashad Evans at UFC 84, but Evans was forced to pull out after being asked to fill in for a fight against Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. Instead, Silva squared off against UFC newcomer Antonio Mendes. After being dropped and momentarily stunned by a head kick from Mendes, Silva survived the flurry of strikes from Mendes and managed to take him down, securing the mounted position. From the dominant position, Silva attacked with punches and elbows until Mendes tapped out due to strikes in the opening round.