UFC 297 title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva hasn’t fought in front of a full crowd since 2018
When Mayra Bueno Silva steps inside the Octagon for UFC 297 on Jan. 20, it’ll be the first time she’ll fight inside a packed arena since late 2018.
Silva was forced to fight in front of no fans during the pandemic era, but even once restrictions were lifted, the women’s bantamweight title challenger was simply booked on events inside the UFC Apex. She will finally gets to fight under the bright lights once again when she takes on Raquel Pennington for the vacant UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship.
Mayra Bueno Silva Eager to Fight In Front Of Packed UFC Crowd Again
During an appearance on MMA Fighting‘s Brazilian podcast “Trocação Franca,” Mayra Bueno Silva spoke out on finally getting the real UFC experience again as a competitor.
“To get fans on their feet with every punch, every move, every takedown, that’s priceless,” Silva said. “That’s incredible. I’m way more anxious to experience that again, to see the crowd again, than about the actual fight. I’m very happy for that.
“When I found out I was going to fight Raquel I thought it was going to be in Vegas,” she continued. “I was happy too because Vegas is where I did my whole UFC career, but when I found out it was going to be in Toronto I realized, damn, we’ll have a crowd again, I’ll meet fans again. I wake up every day thanking God for my life and for the opportunity He’s giving me.”
Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is sure to provide a different experience for Silva as opposed to an empty Ginásio Nilson Nelson in Brasília, Brazil, or the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. How Silva will handle the change on fight night remains to be seen.
