Dayana Silva must work to maintain the minimal momentum she has built in the Bellator MMA women’s featherweight division.
As Silva works toward her forthcoming confrontation with McCourt at 145 pounds, here are five things you might not know about her:
1. A proven pedigree paved her way.
Silva trains out of the famed Nova Uniao camp in her native Brazil. The academy has produced a long line of successful mixed martial artists, including former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo, ex-UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao and two-time Bellator bantamweight titlist Eduardo Dantas.
2. She recovered from an inauspicious start.
The Nova Iguacu, Brazil, native stubbed her figurative to when she made her professional mixed martial arts debut as a 19-year-old in 2009, as she succumbed to third-round punches from Carina Damm under the Bitteti Combat banner. Silva went on to win six of her next seven bouts, a unanimous decision loss to Juliana Lima in April 2011 the lone misstep.
3. Doors have been closed on her.
Silva missed her opportunity to land in the UFC when she wound up on the wrong side of a split decision Gisele Moreira on the short-lived Brazilian iteration of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. Neither woman was signed by the Las Vegas-based promotion.
4. Gold balances her portfolio.
The Andre Pederneiras protégé captured the Shooto Brazil women’s bantamweight championship with a three-round unanimous decision over Sidy Rocha in the Shooto Brazil 95 main event on Sept. 6, 2019. Silva did not defend the title prior to leaving for Bellator in 2021.
5. She has a love-hate relationship with the judiciary.
Silva has gone the distance 13 times in her 17-fight career and carries an 8-5 record in those bouts. Four of those five losses have resulted in either split or majority verdicts.