Mayra Bueno Silva was brutally honest on her upcoming title fight vs. Raquel Pennington.
With Amanda Nunes retired, Bueno Silva (10-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) and Pennington (15-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC) will square off for the vacant women’s bantamweight title in the UFC 297 co-headliner Jan. 20 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Former champion Julianna Peña is not a fan of the matchup, and Silva actually understands where she’s coming from. But the Brazilian is making it her duty to change everyone’s minds once the fight is over.
“On paper, it’s not a good fight because nobody wants to watch this fight – I know,” Bueno Silva told Middle Easy. “This fight on paper is no good. But I promise I will give a big show for everybody. Everybody (will go) home and think about, ‘Hey, this girl Mayra Bueno Silva is the chosen one.'”
Bueno Silva sees Pennington as a tougher fight than Peña. She credits the former title challenger for her durability.
“Raquel is more tough than Julianna,” Bueno Silva said. “Julianna is easy money. … I think she’s tough. She has good boxing, but doesn’t have good jiu-jitsu or a good takedown. I think I’m better than her in everything, but she’s tough. It’s hard to hurt her.”
Pennington has only been finished once in the UFC when she was stopped by former champion Nunes in their title fight in 2018. But Bueno Silva is confident she will get Pennington out of there.
“I will knock her out – I believe this,” Bueno Silva said. “I believe – 100 percent.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.
