Athletes
Natalia Silva | Belief Above All Else
Brazilian Title Natalia Silva Challenger Gets Emotional Discussing Her Journey To Saturday’s UFC 332 Championship Main Event
For Natalia Silva, the UFC women’s flyweight title has always been the goal, not the person holding the belt itself.
“When it was announced that I wasn’t going to fight Valentina, originally, I was sad,” began Silva, who faces Wang Cong for the vacant title at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City. “I was sad because she holds the belt and I wanted the belt. That’s why I wanted to fight Valentina — she’s the titleholder and I’m going for the belt… When it was announced that I would be fighting for a title, to get the belt, I was happy anyway because my purpose, my work, what I do is to be a champion, and I got a chance to fight for a belt, and I’m going on Saturday to get the belt.”
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A quick scan of Silva’s resume paints a picture of a clear road to becoming the top flyweight contender: eight appearances and eight victories, including wins over former titleholders Jéssica Andrade, Alexa Grasso, and Rose Namajunas. In those eight wins, she picked up two finishes and six unanimous decision wins, which is to say: each victory was clear. However, just as the fights themselves were far from easy, neither was Silva’s journey to the biggest stage in the sport.
The 29-year-old hails from Pingo-d’Água, a tiny town of about 5,000 people in the state of Minas Gerais. She began doing taekwondo at 16 and transitioned to MMA at 18, diving straight into the professional ranks. She lost her debut, won her sophomore appearance by disqualification and was submitted in her next two outings. Her record stood at 6-5-1 after losing to future UFC contender Marina Rodriguez at the end of 2017, but three months later, she kicked off a 14-fight winning streak still carries into the Octagon this weekend.
“I think what brought me here was believing in myself — never quitting and continuing regardless of what happens,” Silva said. “No matter what I did in my life and what I was able to accomplish, it was always a very tough journey. I have gone through a lot of challenges… There were moments where I had to live in the gym. I lived in the physical therapy room. I slept in a PT bed for a while. Things were never easy, and many, many moments I thought of giving up, of quitting. ‘Is this for me?’ and always God has strengthened me, has always put people in front of me and around me with a kind word to inspire me to continue. I’ve always believed in myself, always had the strength to say, ‘Don’t quit and continue on.’
“If I look back on my journey right now, believing is what brought me to this point.”
UFC 332 TICKETS: Watch Natalia Silva Live Inside Delta Center This Saturday
The greatest of those challenges was between her final win on the Brazilian regional scene and the start of her UFC career, a 30-month window where the cheerful and engaging Brazilian broke her nose once and her arm twice.
When she was asked what she would say if she could go back in time and talk to that version of herself, the title challenger was hit with a flood of emotions, leaning her head back to fight off the tears before playfully asking, “Why this question?” in a sharper tone than normal.
UFC 332 Countdown | Natalia Silva vs Wang Cong
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UFC 332 Countdown | Natalia Silva vs Wang Cong
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“I would tell her is that God didn’t do this for (just) any reason, that you wouldn’t be living this today if it wasn’t for me to be living this in the future. This is not the moment for it,” she said. “He was always here with me, telling me, ‘It didn’t happen today for a reason. It’s just to mold you, to prepare you, to give you the strength and opportunities to get better and prepare you for other things… (I would say,) ‘Things may not be happening today, right now, they seem difficult, but I am right here. I’m not forgetting you. I’m not letting go of you. I’m always right by your side. I’m gonna be with you throughout the journey. You’re going to have a beautiful path forward. You’re going to get through this, and you’re going to have an opportunity to have your career, to have your shot at the title, and to become a champion someday.’”
Silva shook her head and smiled as translator Fabiano Buskei relayed her words, the weight of this moment becoming crystal clear, and adding more weight to her arrival to this point.
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“I am so happy. I am so excited for this fight,” she said, beaming. “I trained a lot, I am enjoying my week, and I am so, so grateful and happy for this moment. This is incredible… It wasn’t easy, but I did my job and this opportunity is very, very emotional for me because this is my dream, and I have been working all my life for this moment. I am so happy for this.”
Now, the only thing standing between her and the UFC women’s flyweight title is Wang, who arrives in Salt Lake City on a 4-fight winning streak.
“Wang is a great striker, someone who is very quick and has power, as well,” Silva said. “I think she poses a threat and danger because, if you think about it, the fact that she’s getting a chance and the UFC is giving her a chance to fight for a belt, that means she’s a tough opponent.”
Throughout Wang’s UFC tenure, she has displayed strong striking that could give anyone fits in the Octagon and threatens to ruin Silva’s fairytale ending on October 3. However, Silva is keeping things simple when thinking about how she can find her own success on the feet.
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“How do I overcome her and her striking? By being Natalia, by being myself,” she said. “(I do it) by being creative, by moving around, by dancing in my own way around the Octagon and knowing to find opportunities to move, to chase opportunities and take advantage of these opportunities, making the most out of them to get the opportunity to win the fight and become the champion.”
When looking at a championship match-up from the outside, the focus generally goes toward what it would feel like to accomplish the ultimate goal, but that line of thinking overshadows the sacrifices it took to reach that point.
Those are the things that sit heavy with Silva ahead of her championship opportunity, and those are the things that will come flooding out of her while if she should stand triumphant inside the Octagon.
READ: A Viewer's Guide To UFC 332
“For sure, I’m gonna cry because I get very emotional with these things,” she said with a laugh. “I can be a crybaby with these things. I like to shed a tear. I get very emotional about it, and only I know what I’ve been through… I’m gonna be me, so you’re gonna see my cry. You’re gonna see me laugh, You’re gonna see me yell… Only I know what I’ve been through, how difficult the path was, what I had to give up to be here. For example: my nephew was just born when I was training in Mexico, and that’s a moment you can’t get back. That’s time that doesn’t come back to you.
“I know the challenges, how hard the journey is to be in there, so I’ll be celebrating a lot.”
UFC 332: Silva vs Wang took place live from Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 3, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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