UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

The upcoming UFC Fight Night features Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva in the main event. These two ladies compete in the bantamweight division, and both have an imperative to win this bout. Holm knows that she doesn’t have too much time on her hands, and needs another title shot pretty soon, otherwise, she will retire without a chance to take the belt. Silva has to keep on with her solid results, and use the momentum to improve her rankings and become a challenger at some point. 

Preview

Holly Holm (-170) is one of the most famous and iconic MMA legends, and we have the privilege of watching her. At 41 years, the Preacher’s Daughter is still thirsty for success and won’t back down, even though time did have some impact on her. 

Holly divided a win and a defeat in the previous two events, losing to Ketlen Vieira via split decision in May last year and beating Yana Santos via unanimous decision in March 2023. After a couple of months of waiting, she is back in the octagon again.

Since the vigorous loss to Amanda Nunes in 2019, in a title bout, she had two wins before losing to Vieira, against Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana. A terrific boxer as she is, Holm’s punching output is one of the highest, and even though she doesn’t have the KO power like some other rivals, the veteran does a lot of damage with her hands. Also, her cardio is very good, considering the number on her birth certificate. 

Mayra Bueno Silva (+145) was supposed to meet Miesha Tate, but in the end, she ended up against a much harder rival, because of Tate’s injury and withdrawal. She has 10 wins and two losses with one draw in her MMA career. 

Silva entered the organization through Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil, defeating Mayana Souza. Since losing to Manon Fiorot via unanimous decision in October 2021, she posted three wins in a row, against Wu Yanan, Stephanie Egger, and Lina Lansberg, the latter two via submission.

Silva is very good with grappling and wrestling, and it’s no wonder seeing her have seven of 10 wins earned by a submission. She is very strong on the mat, and as time goes by, Silva’s finishing skill set was enriched with various moves.

Prediction

We haven’t seen Holm in one grappling matchup, and whether she would endure constant attacks from the other side. Yes, her cardio is excellent, but as long as she dictates the tempo, not the other way around. Silva is aggressive, no doubt about that, and something tells us that once she drags Holm to the ground, and eventually she will, we could see a surprise here. 

This is a risky suggestion, but our guts tell us that Hollm’s fall and her end as a relevant figure has to come at some point, which would be this Saturday night. The odds on Silva’s victory are at +145. For those who love to take risks, take Silva vis submission. 

Pick: Bueno Silva wins +145