Natalia Silva Answers All The Questions

The crowd at Austin’s Moody Center has great memories, too. In a 2022 packed with memorable events, the UFC’s return to the Texas capital inarguably ranks near the tippy-top. From the first horn to the last, the evening defined “crowd-pleaser,” and Silva’s performance answered any questions as to why a newcomer who hadn’t fought since 2019 was slotted as the featured prelim.

WATCH ON FIGHT PASS: Silva's Austin Debut vs Jasudavicius

“This looks like a completely different fighter than anything that’s out there on her,” remarked announcer Daniel Cormier, sounding slightly shocked. “I am so impressed with Natalia Silva and the improvements she has made. She is a much different fighter today than what she was.”

That much was undeniable. Signed to the UFC in 2019 at age 22, the Brazilian was riding a six-fight win streak, with her last loss coming to current strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez on the regional scene in 2017. A series of deflating injuries followed shortly after signing to the big show, and when she finally made the walk in Austin, she was very much an unknown quantity.

Her performance that night answered all the questions, but it also begat a new one: how? How had she actually managed to level up after being injured and out of the game for so long?

“This is a really cool question,” she says, sitting in the UFC APEX where she is just hours away from opening the show Saturday vs Tereza Bleda at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Spivac. 

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“I got to this level because I’ve never stopped despite all the adversity. I did everything I could while my arm was broken. My team and I adapted really well throughout the injuries. I couldn’t fight for three years, but we spent three years adapting our training for that moment. So that’s it. Natalia has never stopped.

“I was always doing something because I was 100 percent sure that my debut would come and that I’d need to be more than ready. I’d have to be in great shape.”

Her formula worked perfectly, and she’ll lean into it again when she makes her sophomore appearance versus Bleda. Unbeaten in six MMA bouts, the 20-year-old Czech wrestler is looking to make a similar splash in her own UFC debut.

“I see this fight going great because it’s her debut, but I feel the same way I did in my debut. I want to win. So I’m coming just as hungry as I was in my debut, as if I was looking to get my first win in the Octagon. And I’m sure that’s what will make a difference.

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“The goal is to always play my game, be aggressive and impose my game, not let her do anything she wants to do. That’s what I’m bringing to this fight.”

She knows keenly what her opponent will be feeling Saturday, but it’s the fight game, and there’s no time for sentimentality.

“I don’t think she’ll be able to accomplish her dream. She wants to retire undefeated, and I want to remain undefeated in my UFC career. I’m very hungry to win, and getting a win over me will be very hard because there’s no way I’m quitting. I’m going there to win.”

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And if her Austin debut sent the message that she was back and better than ever, what message does a win on Saturday send?

“The message I want to send to the division is: I’m here. I’ll earn my spot. I know all the girls here deserve to be respected and I respect all of them. However, I'm here to work and to show I’ve come to be the best. I want to be the champion and I’m sure that, God-willing, I will get there.”