‘I’m The New Face For The Bantamweight Division’

Mayra Bueno Silva is here to stay.

The Bantamweight division has given new life to Brazil’s Bueno Silva, who arrived on the scene in April 2022 after a stint at Flyweight. While she was no slouch at 125 pounds either, Bueno Silva, 31, has found her footing back in her original weight class, putting together a strong four-fight winning streak that consists of three consecutive submissions.

No win has been larger than Bueno Silva’s last as she locked on a second round ninja choke against former champion, Holly Holm, in the UFC Vegas 77 main event (watch highlights) two weekends ago (July 15, 2023).

“I showed everybody that I’m the new face for the Bantamweight division,” Bueno Silva told MMA Junkie. “I need the title shot now.”

Bueno Silva (11-2-1) undeniably put herself in an excellent spot with the division’s title recently vacated by the retired all-time great, Amanda Nunes. Now ranked No. 3 at Bantamweight, Bueno Silva is glad her fellow Brazilian has opened the door with a potentially imminent title opportunity.

“No, of course not, Amanda would kill me,” Bueno Silva laughed when asked if she wishes she’d gotten to fight Nunes. “Amanda, thank you so much, you finished now. Take care of your family, everything good. I promise that I take the belt, the Brazilian belt.

“Nobody wants to watch Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena,” she added. “Nobody wants this. The fight to do now is Mayra Bueno vs. Julianna Pena because I showed my fighting is more exciting.”

UFC has yet to announce its pairing for the eventual vacant title tilt, which can surely be attributed to the former champion, Pena, still healing from a rib injury that knocked her from her Nunes trilogy bout this past month (June 10, 2023). Pena last fought in July 2022, suffering a unanimous decision loss in her Nunes rematch (watch highlights). Meanwhile, No. 2-ranked contender, Pennington, currently rides a division-best five-fight winning streak.