Athletes
Natalia Silva | Living The Dream
A Delayed Start To Her UFC Career Hasn’t Slowed The Brazilian Standout One Bit
Natalia Silva made her UFC debut in the summer of 2022, but what a number of people forget — or do not know — is that the Brazilian contender was signed a couple of years early, only to be forced to the sidelines as a result of a series of injuries.
“I had a bad moment in my life before my debut in the UFC — I broke my arm two times, and I broke my nose,” explained Silva, who faces off with Rose Namajunas on the main card of UFC 324 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “I lived in my gym because I didn’t have money to pay for my room.
“This was very hard for me, and now I can live my dream, fight in the UFC,” added the bubbly flyweight standout. “It’s so amazing for me. I am so happy for this, grateful for this. I am living my dream.”
The way one deals with adversity has a way of helping to define your character, and it’s been clear that the struggles gave Silva strength. Rather than allowing her circumstances to diminish her spirit and lessen her drive to compete on the biggest stage in the sport, they became building blocks for the young taekwondo stylist to forge an even greater resolve, confident that when the time came, she would be better for having gone through those experiences.
As she readies to face Namajunas and continue making her case for a championship opportunity, that’s precisely what she said has happened.
WATCH: UFC 324 Embedded
“(Through the bad moments, I became) a better Natalia,” she offered on Tuesday. “Now I am a better person because I made it through this. When I look at my life in the past, I can see I needed to (go through) this because now I am a better person; I’m stronger because I lived through this.”
While the injuries delayed her arrival, the standout from the tiny town of Pingo-d’Agua hasn’t missed a beat since reaching the Octagon.
Natalia Silva Lands Spinning Back Kick KO | UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs Cutelaba
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Natalia Silva Lands Spinning Back Kick KO | UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs Cutelaba
/
In her promotional debut, Silva completely out-worked Jasmine Jasudavicius in a bout that has aged exceptionally well for both women as they’ve continued to work forward in the talent-rich 125-pound ranks. Stoppage wins over Tereza Bleda and Victoria Leonardo followed before she started carving her way through ranked opponents.
First was Andrea Lee, followed by fellow Brazilians Viviane Araujo and Jéssica Andrade in 2024; the former is the veteran litmus test every hopeful needs to pass in order to progress into the Top 10, and the latter is a former strawweight champ and flyweight title challenger constantly at the ready to turn away those keen to break into the Top 5. Last year in Montreal, Silva established herself as the top contender in the flyweight division, rolling into UFC 315 and pitching a shutout against former champion Alexa Grasso in her first bout since going back-to-back-to-back with Valentina Shevchenko.
But when two-time strawweight queen Zhang Weili opted to relinquish her title in order to challenge Shevchenko for the flyweight belt, Silva’s path to challenging for gold ran into a detour. Thankfully, an opportunity at the start of the year presented itself.
“I wanted to fight for the belt, but UFC told me, ‘Natalia, Valentina can’t fight now. You need to do one more fight because you can’t be stopped,’” Silva said, raising her hand to replace Grasso opposite Namajunas this weekend on the first UFC fight card on Paramount+. “I told my team, and my team told me, ‘You can do this fight. It will be very important’ because if I want to be the champion, I need to (beat all) the best fighters.
“I am ready for this. I am here for this.”
At a time when plenty of contenders are working to craft manicured records and chart the cleanest, least treacherous path to the top possible, Silva has put her place in the title queue on the line in one of the most dangerous fights imaginable.
RELATED: Rose Namajunas Interview
Namajunas is one of the most accomplished and respected fighters to ever grace the Octagon; a two-time champion with highlight reel finishes of Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk who is now on a mission to make history as the first women to earn UFC titles in two weight classes. Since dropping a decision to French force Manon Fiorot in her divisional debut, “Thug Rose” has earned victories in three of four, and hits 2026 focused on taking a major step towards accomplishing her latest goal.
The pairing with Grasso would have brought her closer, but likely still left her behind the likes of Silva, Fiorot, and Erin Blanchfield, the last person to beat the Denver-based contender. A strong showing against Silva this weekend could potentially catapult her to the head of the list of future challengers, making this a no-brainer assignment to accept.
But what’s the upside for the streaking Brazilian, who carries a 7-0 record in the UFC and a 13-fight winning streak into Saturday’s main card showdown?
“It’s very good for me because I know it’s very important to write my history in UFC,” explained Silva. “I beat Jessica, I beat Alexa, and now I will fight against another former champion.
“This is very, very good for me because when I am the champion, and people look at my history, (they will say), ‘Yeah, Natalia’s good. Natalia (beat) the best fighters in UFC.’”
And if she beats Namajunas this weekend, it has to be a championship fight next, right?
“I can’t say this!” she said with a hearty laugh. “I don’t know about this because I am not the boss! I need to ask for that. ‘Hey Dana! What is the next step?’”
Should things work out in her favor this weekend, Silva will get the opportunity to ask the UFC CEO that question while she stands triumphant in the center of the Octagon, and given that her birthday is only a couple of weeks away, it might make sense to frame the future championship opportunity as an early gift to celebrate her turning 29.
MORE UFC 324: Hernandez Comfortable | Crucial Bantamweight Stretch | Johnson’s Hard Way | UFC 324’s Best Finishes | Charles Johnson’s Storm | Paddy Pimblett on UFC Unfiltered | No Slowing Cortes Acosta | Derrick Lewis Is Different
“I agree with you! ‘Hey Dana — give me a gift for my birthday!’” Silva said, continuing to laugh. “I like this! I will ask for this!”
Make no mistake about it, though: if she beats Namajunas, there will be no one more deserving of next than Natalia Silva.
UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 24, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!