Natalia Silva embraces arduous journey to first title fight at UFC 332 against Wang Cong

The Brazilian standout overcame severe injuries, personal heartbreak and three former champions on her 14-fight win streak to reach her first title opportunity

Oct 2, 2026 at 10:03 am ET • 5 min read

Natalia Silva's road to the doorstep of her dreams -- headlining Saturday's UFC 332 card in a vacant women's flyweight title bout -- has featured so many delays and detours that the humble native of Brazil simply wouldn't have it any other way.

If the overcoming of trials is necessary to build character, the 29-year-old Silva (20-5-1), who is rarely seen on camera without her trademark smile, is overflowing with it as she prepares to enter the Delta Center in Salt Lake City for her main event clash against China's Wang Cong (10-1).

Silva wasn't able to land the fight she coveted most against Valentina Shevchenko after ligament injuries to her back and shoulder forced the two-time flyweight queen to vacate her title. But with three straight wins over former UFC champions in Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso and Rose Namajunas, Silva is excited to finally get her shot to prove how great she can be.  

"It was a difficult path and a tough path through tough fighters," Silva said at Wednesday's media day. "It was not just former champions but former great champions that were good as champions. I feel that this is a path that was tough, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I couldn't ask for something different than that because all of this prepared me to be where I am now."

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The injuries to the 38-year-old Shevchenko, who hasn't fought since last November when she dominated former two-time strawweight champion Weili Zhang over five rounds, delayed Silva's shot at the title even further. Most felt Silva had done enough following a May 2025 win over Grasso, but one more shot to prove herself came in the form of Namajunas at UFC 324 in January, where Silva won a disputed decision in a competitive fight.

Patience, however, has been a virtue Silva has been forced to become one with ever since her pro career first really started taking off in early 2020, when, riding a six-fight win streak, Silva received the call for a shot at the UFC. And that's when the challenges really started.

Silva, who didn't begin MMA training until she was 18, two years after her first taekwondo class, broke her arm in training and was unable to capitalize on the offer from UFC. Then, once healed, she almost instantly injured the exact same arm all over again following another break that led to a painful bone callus.  

To make matters worse, Silva would go on to break her nose in a training accident once her arm was finally healed, and was forced to begin living full-time at her gym in Brazil in order to make ends meet financially during a layoff over two years that delayed her UFC dreams.

To Silva's credit, once she was healthy enough to step foot inside the Octagon for the first time, she shined bright in June 2022 when she recorded a 10-8 round en route to a wide decision win over Jasmine Jasudavicius. But two years later, after Silva improved to 4-0 with the UFC, the tragic passing of her 30-year-old sister sparked a change in mindset that prepared her for where she is today.

Silva made her pursuit of a UFC championship the main priority of her life to honor her sister's memory and inspire others. And through constant visualization of her goals -- not just the UFC title but a full career worthy of legendary status -- Silva built an unshakable resolve.

"I've seen myself up there and I've seen myself in the UFC Hall of Fame, leaving what I believe to be important, which is a legacy," Silva said. "I want people to look back at what I've done and see that there was much more to it that I left. I want people to be inspired that you can come from the humble beginnings that I've had and go through what I've gone through. I want kids to just be inspired and motivated by what I've done because you can."

For a fighter who began her pro career in 2015 by losing three of her first four fights and holding just a 3-4-1 record through her first eight bouts, Silva now enters the biggest fight of her life having won all eight walks to the Octagon amid a 14-fight win streak overall and her face on the poster for the first time.

"It's incredible," Silva said. "That's what I always worked for and what I've always dreamed of and visualized throughout my life. To sign a poster with my face and name on it, that's a dream becoming true. I'm absolutely ecstatic."

Silva and her team began training for Shevchenko and were only given 30 days' notice regarding the substitution of Cong, a decorated 35-year-old kickboxer who holds a 2015 victory over Shevchenko before both came to MMA full-time.

"Yes, we were preparing for Valentina strategically. Sparring was based on Valentina. We were emulating Valentina and everything was focused on her," Silva said. "That's a fight that I always wanted and I worked for this and was always envisioning. They are two different people and there are two different approaches, obviously.

"Our team, our coaches, they always look how we can evolve and do things better. The kicks, the movement tactically changes. Everything else continues to be the same because we try to get better at what I bring to the table and the training is based upon what I bring to the fight."

Cong, nicknamed "The Joker," is 5-1 since making her 2024 debut and has won four straight since her lone UFC defeat when she was put to sleep via rear-naked choke by Gabriella Fernandes in just her second UFC walk.

Even though most fans are expecting an exciting striking match for as long as the five-round bout goes on Saturday, Silva would prefer putting on a clinic of footwork and technique rather than having to win a blood-and-guts war.

"I don't like to be touched during fights but I get into a lot of wars in the gym with the boys," Silva said. "I've had my nose broken in sparring. I don't care, I love wars. We like to go at it. It's the stuff that people don't see in the gym. I can go in there and have a fight and, believe me, if need be, I can go into a war myself. But if I can go in and be a champion without being touched, isn't that better?"