Mayra Bueno Silva believes an injury suffered during her championship clash against Raquel Pennington led to her defeat.
Silva (10-3) took on Pennington (16-8) in the co-main event at UFC 297 with the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title on the line. While “Sheetara” won the first round on all three official scorecards, attempting a submission along the way, she never won another round. Pennington went on to earn a unanimous decision victory in a lackluster affair.
Silva has revealed that a strike from Pennington partially ruptured her eardrum early in Round 2, impairing her ability to make reads. The Brazilian told MMA Fighting on Wednesday:
“I had a minor ear injury, but aside from that, I feel great and ready to come back. 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.”
Silva continued, “I couldn’t read the fight and know what was happening after the strike [that caused the injury]. 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.”
Silva will be visiting a specialist to evaluate the extent of her injury, but when she comes back, she already has two potential opponents in mind.
“There are two athletes that don’t have a fight booked, and I think would make sense for me,” the former title challenger remarked. “First, Irene Aldana. I think that’s a fight we could do, but first I need to wait and see what the doctor sees. I don’t want to stay out too long, I want to come back soon…I also thought about Miesha [Tate], but let’s see what the UFC has to offer. Maybe Miesha would be a good name.”
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