Natalia Silva reflects on her journey ahead of her title fight against Wang Cong
Natalia Silva takes a moment to reflect on her journey to the title bout before the fight
Natalia Silva will face Wang Cong for the title bout in UFC 332. Interestingly, her journey up until now wasn’t any less of a fight either.
Natalia Silva is used to winning what she aims for
The Pingo-d'Água-born fighter started her journey with combat sports at 16 years of age. It was through a community program teaching taekwondo in Minas Gerais. Despite facing negative comments saying she won’t make it with taekwondo as a background, she kept her head high. Meanwhile, something happened in the UFC octagon that removed even the last particle of doubt left.
“When the fight between Holly Holm and Rhonda Rousey happened, I discovered I could make a living from this sport”, she said. “Holly Holm also came from a taekwondo background”. That fight gave her the confirmation she needed, at last.
“If she can do it, I can do it too”.
Speaking about her fighting style, she joked that she didn’t have much of a rhythm for dancing as a kid and would constantly get kicked out of choreographies. Now that people compare her fighting with the grace of dancing, she realised perhaps she had been dancing all along, just in her own way.
Ever since she made the decision to devote herself to MMA, her eyes were locked onto UFC. And she could finally touch her dream after winning her Jungle Fight title.
On June 18,2022, she made her much-anticipated UFC debut against Jasmine Jasudavicius. After that victory was secured, she knew exactly what she wanted next.
“Dana, I came to be a champion”. She was fiercely confident: “I want that belt”.
She now holds an impressive professional record of 20-5-1 and is unbeaten in her eight fights in the UFC. Her current winning streak has 14 victories, one after the other.
Standing just one fight away from potentially calling herself the next flyweight champion, she has no doubts within herself at all.
Natalia Silva’s fierce attitude clashes with the sheer willpower of Wang Cong
The Brazilian fighter is confident about the fight not ending in anything but her victory. However, her opponent, 34-year-old fighter Wang Cong, won’t let it go easily.
With a professional MMA record of 10-1, the Chinese fighter has an indomitable spirit. She snatched the victory against former flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko in 2015, after having only nine days of preparation. And this time she wants for the title for herself.
Her willpower and hunger for doing what feels right brought her a four-fight winning streak. Now, her biggest challenge is not to let herself accept defeat against the fierce Brazilian on October 3rd.
With the two resilient spirits fighting for one goal, the bout, without a doubt, has to be breathtaking.
