Dayana Silva Record: 10-9-0

Regional grind and the global stage

One of the most telling fights of Silva's mid-career came in December 2015, when she dropped a decision to future UFC title challenger Jennifer Maia at Imortal FC 2 – a competitive loss against an elite opponent. In August 2018 she took another step up against the cameras of Dana White's Contender Series, losing a decision to Gisele Moreira. Silva kept grinding through Shooto Brasil before earning her move to Bellator MMA, where she immediately drew the toughest assignments. In April 2021 she met former featherweight champion Julia Budd at Bellator 257 and was outpointed over three rounds.

Bellator run

Silva's signature Bellator moment arrived in April 2022, when she outworked Janay Harding over three rounds at Bellator 279 for a hard-earned decision win on the sport's biggest women's featherweight stage. The promotion kept matching her tough: that September she lost a decision to Leah McCourt at Bellator 285, and in August 2023 she dropped a close decision to Ekaterina Shakalova at Bellator 298. Across a 10-9 career, Silva's willingness to share the cage with champions and ranked contenders has been the throughline.

Fighting style

Silva is a durable, decision-oriented featherweight whose game reflects her Muay Thai roots and Nova União training. With a 10-9 record built largely on the judges' scorecards – eight of her ten wins have gone to decision, and her finish rate sits around 20% – she is a volume fighter who wins rounds by staying busy rather than hunting one-shot finishes. Her two career knockouts show she can hurt opponents, but her bread and butter is competitiveness and toughness; she has rarely been finished and has consistently extended better-credentialed opponents into deep, close fights. The flip side is a thin finishing margin, which has left several of those tight bouts to go against her on the cards.

Career highlights

• Bellator stalwart — competed on MMA's top women's featherweight roster, defeating Janay Harding at Bellator 279 for her marquee promotional win.
• Tested against elite opposition — shared the cage with former champion Julia Budd and future UFC title challenger Jennifer Maia, a measure of the level she fought at.
• Self-made veteran — turned a chance discovery in a Rio Muay Thai program into a 20-fight professional MMA career spanning Brazil's regional circuit and the global stage.