Natalia Silva’s rise hasn’t followed the usual UFC fast track. There were no elite gyms, no early hype, no polished blueprint. Instead, her story begins in a town of just 5,000 people, where MMA wasn’t even a conversation.

And yet, as 2026 begins, Silva sits #2 in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings and is scheduled to replace an injured Alexa Grasso and face former two-time champion Rose Namajunas at UFC 324. So who is Natalia Silva beyond the fight stats? Where does she come from, what fuels her, and how did a girl from Pingo d’Água turn into a title threat on the sport’s biggest stage? Let’s dive in!

Where is Natalia Silva from? What is Natalia Silva’s nationality?

Natalia Silva was born on February 3, 1997, and hails from Pingo-d’Agua, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Growing up in a small town, she took the first steps towards becoming a fighter when she started training in Taekwondo when she was just 16 years old! With the thrill of competition beckoning and the passion to prove herself growing, at the age of 18, Silva transitioned to MMA.

In a past interview with ‘Portal Da Cidade Ipatinga’, Silva had confessed, “I started competing without much professional ambition, but I gradually developed a taste for competitions. After that, after an invitation from some friends who trained with me, I had my first MMA fight.”

But how does someone move from a taekwondo background into the multifaceted world of MMA? Silva quickly learned that MMA was a different beast, one that demanded more than just striking skills. In her early fights against Elaine Leal and Kenya Miranda in 2015, Silva had lost back-to-back fights via submission.

But things changed in 2017 when Carlos Borracha invited her to step inside the cage for the ‘Jungle Fight promotion ,along with a gym to train and a place to live in. This was the turning point. Then, in 2019, against Gabriela Marcal, Silva showed off her growth as she submitted her opponent to become the Jungle Fight women’s flyweight champion.

She made her debut for the UFC in 2022 after being signed in 2020. Her first fight had to be delayed as she was suffering from a fractured arm and other injuries at the time. So, what about her roots?

What is Natalia Silva’s ethnicity?

Natalia Silva is ethnically Brazilian, with roots grounded in the working-class communities of Minas Gerais. While she hasn’t publicly detailed her ancestry beyond that, her story reflects a familiar Brazilian MMA arc, one shaped by limited resources, community skepticism, and family resilience.

In an interview with ‘Superesportes’ Natalia Silva had revealed that growing up in a town of just 5,000 people, she never imagined herself as a fighter. When she started competing in combat sports, it was a huge decision that led her to face a lot of backlash from her community.

Silva confessed, “When I started fighting, it was completely out of reality. There was no tradition of people fighting MMA. I heard a lot of people making fun of me when I started losing…”

Despite facing prejudice and doubts from those around her, she always had the unwavering support of her mother and siblings. In her interview, she shared that her mother, Marta Rodrigues Da Silva, and her five siblings were pillars of support for her as she revealed, “My family, even though they were afraid, always supported me.”

That support system helped her push through losses, injuries, and the long road from regional circuits to the UFC’s elite. But where does faith fit into the picture?

Is Natalia Silva Christian?

Yes, and this is where Silva’s story becomes deeply personal. In a 2025 interview, she spoke with emotion about how belief carried her through setbacks and uncertainty.

“I get very emotional thinking about everything I’ve experienced because God has opened doors for me and placed me in amazing places,” she said. “So I’m just grateful and embracing the opportunities he’s given me with all my heart. And I’m sure, I have so much faith, that I’ll be UFC champion.”

A win over Rose Namajunas doesn’t just move her closer to a belt, it completes a journey that started in a social program, in a town few fans could find on a map. Is faith enough to carry her one step further? UFC 324 may give us the answer.