Las Vegas, NV — For octagon newcomer Karine Silva, it’s been just over seven months since she won her way into the UFC as part of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Ahead of her debut this Saturday at UFC Vegas 56, the flyweight told media outlets including Cageside Press that “I’m very happy. I feel confident about the work that I put in, and the outcome, the process of getting ready for it.”
Silva (14-4), who faces fellow Brazilian Poliana Botelho at the Apex on Saturday, has been in a similar spot before. After all, her Contender Series win came in the very same venue. On the other hand, there are differences, including the effort she’s put into preparing for her debut on the biggest stage in MMA.
“The work doubled. The work doubled, you know you have to put in the work, and it’s double the work obviously,” observed Silva during Wednesday’s UFC Vegas 56 media day. “But the emotions are pretty much the same: I was happy to be here for Contender Series, happy to be here again. But we’re gonna work, we’re gonna work.”
While it might be tempting to try to go out and make a statement on Saturday, strive for something spectacular, Silva sees this as more of the first step in a longer process.
“We always want to put on a show, but I do believe that this is a step-by-step thing.” Silva made the comparison to ants, and to “a worker bee kind of situation. So I just think that the journey starts on Saturday.”
More than anything, she’s simply focused on winning her promotional debut. “The most important thing is that I see a win. I understand that if I need to fight one round, I will just do one round. If I need to go three rounds, I will go three rounds, but I will give my all in the octagon on Saturday.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 56 media day scrum with Karine Silva above. More coverage of the event, which takes place this Saturday, June 4, 2022 at the Apex in Las Vegas, can be found below.
-
Askar Mozharov
-
Lucas Almeida
-
Jair Rozenstruik
-
Ode Osbourne
-
Movsar Evloev
-
Alonzo Menifield
