If Natalia Silva didn’t already have your attention, she should now after winning a lopsided decision over Jessica Andrade in the UFC Vegas 97 co-main event.
In her biggest test to date, Silva put on a striking clinic as she kept Andrade guessing from the first second of the fight until the very last. From rapid fire punches to spinning wheel kicks, Silva emptied her arsenal to beat up Andrade in every round with all three judges ultimately scoring the fight 30-27 in her favor.
Silva has now won six fights in a row in the UFC and it’s going to be tough to deny her a potential title eliminator in the near future.
“I knew the strategy, that she was going to pressure me and come close,” Silva said about the fight. [I told my team] I’m going to be running around this octagon.
“Dana [White], I came here to be a champion. I want that shot.”
With Andrade in hot pursuit, Silva employed good footwork and movement to circle around the cage and tagging the former champion with a variety of strikes from the outside. Andrade was struggling to close the distance but in those moments when she was able to trap Silva, she unloaded huge heavy punches in succession.
Despite the pressure and raw power coming from Andrade, Silva displayed remarkable patience to set up her combinations and she kept mixing things up to make sure she was never predictable. Silva was throwing three or four strikes at a time compared to one haymaker coming back at her from Andrade and the numbers were really starting to rack up for the Brazilian prospect.
As Silva continued to chip away, Andrade tried to desperately to get inside but she just couldn’t find a home for her punches. As Andrade continued to aggressively pursue her opponent in hopes of turning the tables, Silva uncorked a perfectly timed punch that blasted her directly in the eye.
Andrade winced in pain and backed up momentarily but she was able to blink out the damage done before resetting in the center of the cage.
As the fight moved into the final round, Silva was really settling into a rhythm, snapping off combinations and showing almost no fear of reprisal. Andrade was also slowing down and that allowed Silva to really pick and choose her shots.
With time running on her, Andrade even attempted to turn to her grappling but Silva shrugged off the takedown attempts and continued to pick her apart from the outside. Silva didn’t slow down until the fight was over and she secured her victory.
Following this latest win, Silva definitely put the flyweight division on notice and it’s tough to imagine she doesn’t have an even bigger fight awaiting her when she competes again.