Preview: UFC Fight Night 215 Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

Natalia Silva (13-5-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Tereza Bleda (6-0, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Silva (-165), Bleda (+140)

This should provide some intrigue, as Silva looks to follow up on an electric UFC debut. Silva had a successful regional career in her native Brazil but did not particularly pop on film, looking well-rounded to a fault without much of a focus or a clear standout skill at the UFC level. Signed by the UFC in 2020, injuries delayed Silva’s debut for about two years until her June fight against Jasmine Jasudavicius, and she certainly put that time to good use. Silva looked like a completely different fighter by both outmaneuvering and outwrestling the much larger Jasudavicius, scoring a dominant win and marking her as a prospect to watch. Silva draws another much taller opponent in the Czech Republic’s Bleda, who makes her own UFC debut here. Bleda is certainly a prospect with some potential, as she is absolutely massive for the 125-pound division and has shown some impressive grappling chops at just 20 years of age. She was one of the few winners on the most recent edition of Dana White’s Contender Series to not earn a contract outright, which seemed like the right call. Her wrestling-heavy victory was solid but not nearly dominant enough to suggest that Bleda is ready to get thrown into deeper waters. Nevertheless, she gets the call and certainly has a shot at a win thanks to her size advantage and a level of athleticism that Jasudavicius did not possess. However, Silva is the much faster striker and should be able to wear Bleda down over time without much issue, though any grappling exchanges could be risky. The pick is Silva via decision.