Athletes
Mayra Bueno Silva Comes Roaring Back
Six Months Removed From Her First Title Shot, "Sheetara" Brings Next-Level Preparation To UFC 303 Return
If you know anything about Mayra Bueno Silva, then what she did after losing her bantamweight title shot at UFC 297 in January will come as little surprise: she went right back to the gym.
“I didn't want to go back to Brazil to see my family. On Monday (after the fight), I started physical preparation, I started training, but, unfortunately, in the title fight I got injured, and I couldn't go back training as usual. The doctor didn't let me spar. But we treated (the injury), did everything right, I came back, asked for a fight, and (matchmaker Mick Maynard) gave me a fight. Now we are ready to win again and honor Brazil, because my last fight wasn't good.”
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That fight certainly was a bitter pill to swallow in the moment. Not only had the belt eluded her, but there was a moment in the fight where it was so close to being hers. Backpacked onto her opponent Raquel Pennington in round two, she was a whisper away from finishing the rear naked choke. Surviving that finish seemed to animate Pennington, as the veteran took the reins of the bout and eventually the women’s bantamweight championship.
“Her experience was a huge factor for her. I couldn't listen to my corner, I couldn't perform as planned. We went back home with a great lesson: that we needed to be better prepared--mentally and physically--to prevent it from happening again.”
When she says she couldn’t listen to her corner, she means literally, citing a ruptured eardrum sustained during the bout.
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“In the beginning of the second round, I was hit and I felt the lights turn out. It was weird, but it happens in fights, only fighters know. And I moved on. There are some setbacks in life so we can grow up.”
She reveals her introspective side as she says, and it jibes with what she recently posted on her social media: “Failure is not falling down; it's refusing to get up.” She had the skills to get to the title shot once, and she’s confident she’ll be there again. Her record backs up that confidence.
“Sheetara” has been making noise since the moment she stepped into the Octagon. After winning the bantamweight title in Brazil’s BMMA promotion, the then-undefeated Muay Thai specialist and BJJ brown belt was invited to the 2018 Brazilian incarnation of Dana White’s Contender Series. She took full advantage of the opportunity and submitted her opponent in less than a minute. UFC contract in hand, she’d get another submission in her debut vs Gillian Robertson, the woman currently holding the record for most submissions in the UFC women’s divisions.
Her bank account could paint nearly as bright a picture of the success that ensued as her record book. Silva scored Fight of the Night honors for her contests with Maryna Moroz and Wu Yanan. She would take home performance bonuses for submissions versus Lina Lansberg and Holly Holm. When Amanda Nunes retired in 2023 and the bantamweight title became vacant, it was little surprise to anyone paying attention that Silva’s name was on the shortlist of worthy competitors.
There’s another name vying for that list, though: Macy Chiasson. Silva will face her Saturday on the main card of UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2 in Las Vegas. The TUF 28 winner has always been a threat everywhere, and boasts notable wins over the likes of Norma Dumont and Marion Reneau.
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“Her game involves a lot of movement, she is always moving, and she likes to grapple, as well. It’s hard to read Macy's game. What I think will be a challenge--and what made me accept this fight--is that she is big. She is very long, big, so I think she will move and try to fight on the fence. Her movement may be difficult for me, because she is very long.”
Indeed, Chiasson’s size is a constant problem for her opponents, and she’ll have the advantage of five inches of height, as well as nearly six inches of reach, over Silva. But the Brazilian has a gameplan.
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“The perfect win would be by submission. Submissions are my strengths, but I trained my knockouts, as well. I'm ready to win by decision, too. My last fight wasn't good, but I promise this one will be better.”
UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 29, 2024. See the Final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
