Mayra Silva to Holly Holm: 'It is my time!'

MANILA, Philippines – UFC Fight Night on Sunday, July 16, represents Brazilian Mayra Silva’s biggest match thus far. She is up against former champion Holly Holm in a bantamweight match — her first headline match.

“I worked hard to get to this position and I want to make the most of it,” said Silva, who totes a 10-2-1 record, including a three-fight win streak.

“It was nice to get ‘Performance of the Night’ in my last fight against Lina Lansberg, and it gives me confidence to fight a top fighter like Holly.”

Holm (15-6-0) has done well of late, winning three of four matches, including her last outing in March against Yana Santos where she took a unanimous decision win.

The age disparity is huge with Holm at 41 and Silva at 31. 

“I cannot think about age gaps or what because Holly is a champion and a veteran. The moment you think that way and think about retiring her, you could be the one losing this fight,” pointed out Silva.

For her part, Holm wants one more shot at the UFC title belt. She previously won the women’s bantamweight championship when she shocked the world by defeating Ronda Rousey back in 2015.

“It is my mission,” she said after dispatching Santos. “I want another shot at it.”

She will have to go through the lady nicknamed “Cheetara” (the nickname was bequeathed to her by her coach Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, who was a fan of the cartoon Thundercats).

Silva is a submission specialist with seven of her victories going that route. Holm is the opposite — a striker with some devastating leg kicks. 

“It is my time,” Silva countered. “It is my time to shine.”

“For Brazilian people, aside from football, we love mixed martial arts. When people like Amanda Nunes and Alex Pantoja win, we all celebrate. We feel that it is our sport. I want to give glory to my country.”

UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Silva will be televised live in the Philippines at 10 a.m. Sunday on the Premier Sports Channel on Skycable and Cignal as well as on the TapGo TV streaming application.