UFC Vegas 20: Montana De La Rosa vs Mayra Bueno Silva Preview

While neither of these fighters has a number next to their name just yet, a big win this Saturday at UFC Vegas 20 will go a long way in earning just that, or at the very least, a ranked opponent next. Join us as we preview this De La Rosa vs Silva bout and the paths to victory for each fighter!

Montana De La Rosa

The Ultimate Fighter Season 26 alumnus, Montana De La Rosa, will be returning to the octagon this Saturday at UFC Vegas 20. Rosa currently holds a record of 11-6 (4-2 UFC). During her time on the hit reality TV series, Montana defeated Ariel Beck via submission before losing to the inaugural UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Nicco Montano, in the quarterfinals. This did not halt Montana’s dreams of becoming a UFC fighter, however, but instead showed just how tough she could be in the promotion moving forward.

As mentioned, despite being eliminated from TUF, Rosa was still able to earn her way into the UFC and has held up quite well so far. Of her four wins in the promotion, three have come by way of submission. One of which was over another TUF alumnus and former flyweight, Rachel Ostovich.

Another came against Nadia Kassem via armbar submission. Kassem was undefeated coming into the bout and Montana still dominated the entire fight. With five other wins via submission outside of the UFC, it is clear that if you are on the ground with Montana, you may be in for some trouble. However, this is not her only path to victory, as she has shown to be comfortable enough on the feet to compete with top-level contenders.

Her first of two losses in the UFC came at the hands of very stern competition in Andrea Lee, who is currently ranked 12th in the division. This fight was a war, where Montana was never truly out of the fight, with Lee getting the upper hand in the striking exchanges. The other loss came via Viviane Araujo, who is now sitting at #7 in the rankings. This fight at UFC Vegas 9 was one that Montana left it all in the cage for and fell short. 

Now, Rosa is looking to get back in the win column at UFC Vegas 20. This will no doubt be another very tough fight for Montana, but it is clear she will not turn a fight down against anyone. With rankings on the line in this bout, look for Montana to bring the action from start to finish in her hope to capture her fifth victory inside the octagon.

Mayra “Sheetara” Bueno Silva

The Brazilian-born Mayra Bueno Silva comes into UFC Vegas 20 with the opportunity to start another win streak. Coming into this fight, Mayra holds a record of 7-1 (2-1 UFC). Silva first made a name for herself when she competed on Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil and took home a submission victory just a little over one minute into the fight. As per usual with any successful Contender Series appearance, you are looked at immediately as a high-level prospect, and Mayra was no different.

In Silva’s UFC debut she faced the always tough Gillian Robertson. Though this fight only lasted one round, Mayra showed how well-rounded she is. Now, she did finish this fight via armbar with just five seconds left in the first, but before that she displayed a very clean striking game that even included spinning back kicks to the body and strong shots in the boxing range. Gillian did what she does best, which was grapple, and it still was not enough. Silva was constantly able to stand back up, and as just mentioned, eventually finish the fight from the bottom.

Following her debut, we would not see Mayra back in the octagon for a little over a year, returning at UFC Fight Night Brasilia back in March of 2020 in her home country. Silva would, unfortunately, come up short in a decision but did not let this dwell on her for long. She bounced back with yet another armbar submission in the first round against an opponent shared by both Silva and Montana, Mara Romero Borella. This came back in September at UFC Vegas 11.

Will Mayra be able to improve to 3-1 in the UFC at UFC Vegas 20 or will Montana be too tall a task? Silva never strays away from a dog fight, and lucky for us, neither does Rosa. These two are going to give us a war and this fight is well-deserving of a main card slot. Now let’s take a look at how it just might play out!

De La Rosa vs Silva Breakdown

It will be very curious to see how this fight will go at UFC Vegas 20. Montana has shown she is a fantastic wrestler and has finished nearly all of her fights by submission. However, the same can be said for Mayra, as together these women have 13 submissions out of their 18 total combined wins.

The biggest difference here is that when Silva gets taken down, she has shown weaknesses in her game. Yes, she finished Gillian from the bottom, but in her lone professional loss, she was unable to garner any offense from the same position. Montana, on the other hand, hardly ever gets taken down because her opponents know her strong wrestling pedigree.

On the feet, give the advantage to Mayra. She has shown very strong power in her shots, a complex arsenal of spinning kicks and elbows, plus immense aggression and volume. Montana can, by all means, compete in striking and has a well-rounded game. But, in her UFC losses, this is where she inevitably fell short on the judges’ scorecards.

As for paths to victory at UFC Vegas 20, look for Silva to keep this on the feet as much as possible and stalk her opponent down. For Montana, if she gets this to the ground, she may be able to put on another great performance. Her top pressure is very good as she is constantly transitioning and looking for the finish, whether that be ground and pound or submission. If Silva can neutralize the takedowns, we could be in for a back and forth battle that could go down to the final seconds of the bout to determine who gets the better of the other.

Fights like these, where there are so many questions and intangibles toward a path to victory are the most exciting. The women’s flyweight division is beginning to put together a very solid roster from top to bottom and these women are about to show why. Look for this bout to fly under the radar in potential Fight of the Night talks at UFC Vegas 20, because it is going to be full of toughness and grit for fifteen minutes.

De La Rosa vs Silva Prediction: Montana De La Rosa via unanimous decision.

Who do you see winning this De La Rosa vs Silva flyweight scrap? Let us know your prediction in the comments below!

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