Fighting despite the tragic loss of her sister, Natalia Silva shows her championship mettle

LAS VEGAS -- During her two-plus years on the UFC roster, Natalia Silva has become known not only for her impeccable MMA skills, but also for her humility, her quick smile and her easy-going nature.

Following a career-best victory over Jessica Andrade on Saturday at Apex in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 97 that signified her as a legitimate flyweight title contender, Silva smiled plenty, as one might expect after a one-sided victory over a former champion.

Silva dealt effortlessly with Andrade's insane forward pressure to win a unanimous decision by scores of 30-27 on all cards.

Deep within, though, she stored a secret: Four months ago, she lost her sister in a battle with drugs. And so it was often hard for her to speak on Saturday. At the post-fight news conference, she almost tried to force herself to smile as she recounted the victory and the dark circumstances that surrounded it.

"When I accepted this fight, it was a leap of faith," Silva said. "I didn't know what was going to happen. The reason I accepted this fight is to prove the Lord is with me in very good times, but he's also my Lord in very bad times. There were times I woke up in the morning to train and I said, 'It's hurting. It hurts to do this. But come with me and train with me, and let's get through this.' And if I'm here today, it's because of God, Jesus. I hope that people see that, too, because Jesus is everything. He will take you through it and he will guide you by the hand and help you out, as well.' "

The grace she showed was extraordinary. She's a 27-year-old woman still learning her place in the world and she sat by herself at a dais answering the most difficult of questions with poise, grace and dignity.

Her goal was to win, but more than that to honor her sister's memory with her effort. Asked if she felt her sister's presence, she started and stopped several times, overcome by emotion.

The room was eerily silent, every camera and all eyes on her. No doubts, hearts were breaking throughout the room and among those watching online who could see and feel her pain. Silva, though, rose to the occasion as she has so many times with her athletic ability in fights.

After covering her face momentarily, when she finally began to answer and speak of her late sister, she did so with tears in her eyes but a smile upon her face. Her voice occasionally cracked, but she made it through flawlessly.

"When I went to visit her in the hospital, I told people that I was a fighter," Silva said. "I know she was proud of me. And when you go through a situation like this, it's hard to talk about it but obviously I wish she was here but it's God's will that she wasn't. God gave her a chance and an opportunity. We all have an opportunity and I was able to power through [the fight]."

It was extraordinary under any circumstance. Andrade moved forward relentlessly and was throwing big shots. But Silva is quick and has great feet and she used her ability to move to her advantage. She heard Andrade said before the fight that her pressure would be the difference and she smiled at that. She knows how difficult she is to trap.

Silva used plenty of kicks, including a front kick to the face and a series of spinning kicks, to keep Andrade off balance. She felt that despite the horrific loss she'd suffered, she'd had a great camp because of her team's work and that she was prepared for everything Andrade tried.

"One of my advantages is that I move well and I move a lot and I move well around the Octagon," Silva said. "We emphasized [movement] a lot in training. ... I don't like to joke around before fights. I'm kind of focused, but I was even joking because she said throughout the week that she was going to be pressuring me and just trying to corner me. 

"I said, 'Well, good luck with that,' because she was going to have to be really big to find me because that Octagon is huge. It's hard to find somebody and get to a person who moves around like this. And I know how annoying it is because I train with people, my sparring partners, who do that a lot. I know how difficult it is to fight somebody who moves that well."

Nothing, though, was more difficult than to fight with the loss that Silva had suffered. 

And whether she wins a belt in the UFC remains to be seen, though she's likely to get the chance in the not-too-distant future. But the way she dealt with the horrible tragedy she faced on Saturday, Silva came through with a championship effort.