Brazilian flyweight Natalia Silva has been on quite the run since arriving in the UFC, with four straight wins over the likes of KGB Lee and Jasmine Jasudavicius.
That has landed her the #9 ranking in the division, a situation Silva (16-5-1) addressed during this week’s UFC Vegas 85 media day.
“I am so, so happy for this. I have been working all my life for this,” exclaimed Silva, who is paired up with fellow Brazilian standout Viviane Araujo on this Saturday’s Fight Night card. “I am living a dream, and I am here to be the champion. I am working to achieve this.”
The dream of being champion was something that was put on hold for roughly two years as Natalia Silva waited to make her promotional debut, not fighting from late 2019 until 2022. Silva admits she worried that her dream might fizzle during that stretch. The delay came about due to a broken arm and other injuries.
“Yeah. Yeah all the time I think about it, because when I was living the hard moments in the lot, I asked Jesus a lot – ‘let me live my dream, Jesus.’ Now, I can live this, and I am so grateful for Jesus.”
In Araujo, Natalia Silva sees an experienced fighter who is admittedly a challenge.
“She’s a strong fighter, and she has great grappling and experience. Experienced girl,” stated Silva. “It is a hard challenge for me but I am working, I am training a lot to give my best on February 3.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 85 media day appearance by Natalia Silva above.
