TORONTO – For Mayra Bueno Silva, winning the vacant women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297 is about more than just getting recognition as one of the best fighters in the world.
“I want to change lives,” Silva told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I think this is my motivation (to win the belt) – to change lives. I want to change my community. For me, everything is about this. It’s not about UFC champion. It’s about Mayra as the champion will change lives.”
Silva (10-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) meets Raquel Pennington (15-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC) for the vacant belt left behind by Amanda Nunes when she retired from the sport in June. The matchup co-headlines Saturday’s pay-per-view main card from Scotiabank Arena, which follows prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
Although Silva is tenacious and violent inside the octagon, she has a soft heart outside of it. She comes from humble beginnings in Brazil and said she witnessed – and experienced – poverty, crime and plenty of other difficult situations growing up in her hometown of Uberlandia.
Silva, 32, doesn’t want the next generation to endure the same struggles she went through. She can only do so much to help now, but claiming a UFC title would grow her platform and generate more financial freedom to invest in trying to create change.
“It’s hard to talk about this,” Silva said. “But I’m born in a community where some days I don’t eat. I don’t have water and other things. It’s hard for me to talk about this. I don’t want the kids in my community to stay in this same position. I want to change lives. I want to show for everybody if you work hard, if you believe in God, everything can happen.
“When I get the belt, I will start everything. I will start the project in my city. When I put on my belt, everything starts in my life. It’s not only about the belt, it’s about my life. This is about my dream. This is about my kids. This is about my community. This is about everything I believe in.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.
