UFC APEX – UFC flyweight Natalia Silva comes into her fight against Jessica Andrade at UFC Vegas 97 on Saturday night with a heavy heart having recently lost her sister.
“I had a hard moment in my life. I lost my sister recently four months ago,” Silva told reporters on Wednesday.
“I like to fight again before, but I (couldn’t).”
Silva (17-5-1) leaned on her faith at one of the toughest moments of her life in order to get through the grieving process and into fight mode.
“Jesus helped me. I asked Jesus, ‘Jesus help me please I need to do this. I am feeling bad.’ I know you can help me and train to. Help me overcome this. I’m still feeling (it),” she said.
“But I am here to fight. Jesus helped me and Jesus is my strength.”
Her opponent is no pushover as she faces former UFC champion Andrade at the UFC APEX.
“I think this is my opportunity. I can do this. Jessica is a good name in UFC and I need(ed) to accept this opportunity and show my skills. Now I am here to fight against Jessica,” said Silva.
With a win over a former champion come more opportunities to move up
“(A) victory against Jessica will give me a new opportunity. I know I can fight for the belt, and that one victory against Jessica will give me (an) opportunity for this,” she said.
“This is an opportunity for me for a higher goal which is to be champion.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Natalia Silva above. She takes on Jessica Andrade at UFC Vegas 97.
