Mayra Bueno Silva Hits the Reset Button

Mayra Bueno Silva sees value in the struggle.

“Sheetara” will return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight division when she takes on Jasmine Jasudavicius as part of the UFC Fight Night 250 undercard on Saturday at anb Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bueno Silva sets out in search of her first win in nearly two years, as she enters the cage on the heels of back-to-back defeats to Raquel Pennington and Macy Chiasson.

“I learned a lot from both fights,” she told Sherdog.com. “I came to understand some things about myself. No one wants to learn from a loss, but it was important to learn those lessons. Now I’m moving forward. I have another tough fight in front of me.”

A onetime title challenger at women’s bantamweight, Bueno Silva caught many observers off-guard with her decision to move back to the 125-pound weight class.

“I’m dropping back down because I want to challenge myself again,” she said. “I want to climb my way up again. My goal is the flyweight belt. I’ll be facing Jasmine, who’s super tough. I’m going to have fun restarting my climb towards the belt.”

Jasudavicius steps back into view on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. The Niagara Top Team product has compiled an impressive 6-2 record across her eight appearances inside the Octagon, losing only to Natalia Silva and Tracy Cortez. Jasudavicius, 35, last competed at UFC Fight Night 246, where she put away former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki champion Ariane Lipski with a brabo choke in the third round of their Nov. 2 encounter. The Canadian has Bueno Silva’s undivided attention.

“I like her style a lot,” she said. “She goes for finishes. It’s also how I fight. We both look to finish our opponents. I believe we will have a war. I will honor Brazil this time. She’s had good results against Brazilians in the past, but I’ll stop her. I like her a lot, but business is business.”

Bueno Silva, who repped American Top Team in the past, spent her training camp with the Fighting Nerds in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where her preparation was overseen by coaches Pablo Sucupira and Flavio Alvaro. Longtime girlfriend Gloria de Paula provided additional support ahead of the forthcoming showdown with Jasudavicius.

“She’s always by my side,” Bueno Silva said. “Without her, my fight camps don’t work. We brought in a few more training partners. I’m very ready.”

As she approaches her latest test, Bueno Silva continues to lean into her ambition.

“I will have a war against Jasmine,” she said. “My plan is to have my hand raised at the end. Then I want to fight someone who’s ranked even higher. I’m chasing after the flyweight belt.”