Mayra Bueno Silva wants a shot at the vacant UFC bantamweight championship after scoring the biggest win of her MMA career this past Saturday in Las Vegas.
“Sheetara” tapped former champion Holly Holm with a ninja choke in the main event of UFC Vegas 77 to improve to 4-0 at bantamweight and put her name in the conversation for a shot at the gold, and ripped 135-pound contenders Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington on a Monday appearance on The MMA Hour.
“Julianna talk too much bullsh*t,” Silva said. “I watched one good fight of Julianna. You watched how many good fights of Julianna? She talk too much but she is a good fighter. But look my fight and look her fight, what fight is more exciting? I am a new face. I think Julianna is a good fighter but she don’t win [against me]. I can knock her out and submit her. I think she don’t win.”
Asked about a potential clash between Peña and Pennington for the title, “Sheetara” said no one is interested in that alternative. Peña once held the UFC belt after beating Amanda Nunes, but lost the rematch in dominant fashion. Pennington once challenged Nunes in Brazil, losing a one-sided beatdown.
“Nobody wanna watch this fight,” Silva said. “[Pennington had] a lot of [good] fights [in the past]. But now… I respect both, understand? Raquel in the past have a lot of great fights, but now, she’s stopped. Julianna, two fights with Amanda, only. Look my fights.”
Riding a winning streak with victories over Holm, Lina Lansberg, Stephanie Egger and Wu Yanan which earned her three post-fight bonuses, Silva said she’s the one to beat following Nunes’ retirement because “no girls submit like me, no girl have good fights like me, and no girls have performance of the night like me.”
“I deserve this chance. I want it now. I’m next,” said Silva, adding that Peña should be the one standing across the cage because Pennington allegedly turned down a fight with her after Miesha Tate withdrew from their contest due to injury, leading to Silva vs. Holm instead.
“I think she’s is afraid of me,” Silva said of Peña. “I smash her for five rounds. I don’t watch to tap [her] because she talks too much. I smash her for five rounds.”