Adrenaline Rush

Natalia Silva started formal taekwondo training at the age of 16 and stumbled into mixed martial arts by mere chance. Some nine years later, she finds herself in position to make waves in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight division. Not everyone takes the same road to prominence.

“I got into MMA out of curiosity,” Silva told Sherdog.com. “My taekwondo teammates and coaches mentioned there was a need for a girl for an upcoming MMA card. I wasn’t even sure what MMA was. I was assured everything would work out fine. I took the fight, and since then, I’ve been in love with the adrenaline. That’s how it all started.”

The former Jungle Fight champion will put her seven-fight winning streak on the line when she confronts the unbeaten Tereza Bleda as part of the UFC Fight Night 215 undercard on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Bleda, 20, punched her ticket to the promotion in September, when she took a unanimous decision from Nayara Arnault Maia Correia on Dana White’s Contender Series.

“I believe she’ll be very confident,” Silva said. “My strategy is always the same. I won’t let her game flow, and I’ll impose my own. That’s how I see myself winning. I’ll be constantly aggressive. I’ll decide if I want the fight to play out on the mat or on the feet.”

Silva benefits from already having some Octagon experience under her belt. She made her organizational debut at UFC on ESPN 37, where she outpointed Jasmine Jasudavicius to a unanimous verdict on June 18. Silva executed two takedowns against the Canadian and outlanded her by a 96-31 margin in significant strikes. Victory was made sweeter by the fact that it was Silva’s first appearance in nearly 30 months.

“After I signed with the UFC, I suffered several injuries that kept me out of commission for over two years,” she said. “That win was very important to me. It had been the first time I was able to fully dedicate myself to training. To win my first UFC bout—that was more than perfect. It was the fulfillment of a dream. It was very hard to get to that point. The performance I had in that fight was thanks to all the training we put in.

“The two years without a fight were a period of much personal growth, as well as spiritual, technical and physical evolution,” Silva added. “I hadn’t had my UFC debut yet, but it was part of my every thought. Staying calm during that first bout was crucial. I managed to do everything we trained for.”

The 25-year-old Silva continues to operate out of Team Borracha in Brazil, where she trains under Carlos Costa and Rames Luiz while sharing the gym with aspiring fighters like Wagner Reis, Alan Adler and Caio Domingues. She finds comfort and confidence there.

“We always plan to add something new with each fight,” Silva said. “I want to show up as a different fighter every time. I always bring something new. I’m never the same Natalia as before. I’m always better.”

Given her current trajectory, it should come as no surprise that she has some ambitious plans moving forward at 125 pounds. First order of business: Keep priorities in order.

“My focus is completely on winning this fight now,” Silva said. “Then I plan to keep winning until I become champion. My goal is to be the UFC champion.”