UFC 297 was a rough night for Mayra Bueno Silva.
A new women’s Bantamweight champion was crowned in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this past weekend (Jan. 20, 2024). Unfortunately for Brazil’s Bueno Silva, it wasn’t her, as she lost a unanimous decision to perennial top contender, Raquel Pennington, in the evening’s vacant title co-main event.
The loss was Bueno Silva’s first in the 135-pound division (10-3-1, 1 no contest), and after a victorious opening round, it was downhill from there. Bueno Silva lost the last four rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, but now reveals she was thrown off by a rare injury that occurred in round two.
“I had a minor ear injury, but aside from that, I feel great and ready to come back,” Bueno Silva told MMA Fighting. “Raquel hit me hard in the ear and partially tore my eardrum and I kind of lost balance. But it’s part of the game.”
Bueno Silva, 32, will go back to the drawing board after the loss and has yet to reassess the fight. Upon her eventual return to action, she hopes for a bout with either one-time title challenger, Irene Aldana, or former champion, Miesha Tate. Two match ups that would, hopefully, receive more fanfare than the Pennington fight did.
Nonetheless, “Sheetara” doesn’t want to take anything away from the new champion.
“I couldn’t read the fight and know what was happening after the strike [that caused the injury],” Silva said. “Kudos to her for landing a good strike that took me out of the fight.
“I’m still licking my wounds and had no time to analyze the fight and know what went wrong yet. We’re still kind of on a hangover,” she concluded.
For complete UFC 297 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.