BY RYAN BEVINS, ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER) @BEVOIS
“I am the best.” Those were the words famously repeated over and over again by Rose Namajunas as Bruce Buffer was introducing her before her fight at UFC 261. Namajunas would then proceed to to knockout the reigning champion Weili Zhang with a Head Kick to recapture the UFC women’s strawweight title at UFC 261. The new champion would then reiterate “I am the best” to Joe Rogan in her post-fight interview and video of the self-fulfilling prophecy made its rounds on ESPN SportsCenter and social media, while the win made her arguably the greatest 115-pound fighter in MMA history.
In what was one of the heaviest and most intense moments in women’s MMA, the all-timer Namajunas simultaneously inspired the next generation of strawweight fighters. That includes LFA star Lany Silva, who was watching that Jacksonville, Florida based UFC pay-per-view a hemisphere away in her native Brazil. Silva credits Namajunas, along with Amanda Nunes, as her biggest inspirations in MMA and Namajunas’ famous words “I am the best” can now be found tattooed across Silva’s chest.
In fact, Silva could be tapping into Namajunas’ iconic words of affirmation a lot sooner than it usually takes. That is because just 8 months after Namajunas’ memorable moment at UFC 261, Silva won her amateur MMA debut by first round knockout. The Salvador, Bahia native would then spend the next year competing in both MMA and Kickboxing, where she would become a Brazilian National Kickboxing Champion in October of 2022. After remaining undefeated in both sports, Silva decided it was time to make her professional MMA debut at the end of 2022. She won the fight via TKO and that quickly gained the attention of LFA Vice President Mark Bieri, who is tasked with matchmaking and scouting talent worldwide for the promotion.
“Lany Silva is part of the next generation of MMA talent that began training in their youth,” Bieri told LFA.com. “Lany is from Bahia, which is a state in Brazil famous for its world-class strikers. She started training when she was 13-years-old and quickly became a Brazilian National Champion in Kickboxing. That striking pedigree combined with her confidence and willingness to fight anyone has allowed her to grow her fanbase worldwide.”
Get your rickets for LFA 175: Lopes vs. Brigagão
Lany Silva signing a multi-fight deal with the LFA.
Bieri signed Silva to a multi-fight deal with the LFA after the impressive win in her professional debut and the wheels were set in motion for a breakthrough year in 2023. Silva would quickly make a big statement in her LFA debut at LFA 154 in March of 2023. The 20-year-old Silva would face Sabrina Oliveira, who was already 4-0 as a professional. Silva won the fight dominantly by winning every round on every judge’s score card and then decided to keep a steady work load by returning to the LFA Octagon every 4 months throughout the year and left with a Unanimous Decision victory each time.
The second LFA win came against Nawira Ferreira at LFA 162 and the third victory came against Sarah Barwick at LFA 171. The three wins over Oliveira, Ferreira, and Barwick were even more impressive considering they were all undefeated at the time Silva fought them. It also made Silva the winningest woman in the LFA in 2023 and the fight fans voted her the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Female Fighter of the Year.
Silva was excited and proud to be named the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Female Fighter of the Year, which is an award that has also been won by current UFC strawweight stars Loopy Godinez and Jacqueline Amorim. Silva shared her thoughts on the honor. “It means the result of a lot of work and hard training every day,” Silva explained. “Most importantly GOD… without him none of this would happen.”
Lany Silva is the newly crowned LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Female Fighter of the Year.
Bieri also shared his thoughts on Silva winning the award as she is now the latest LFA star being developed by the same promotion that has produced a dozen current UFC strawweight stars in Godinez and Amorim along with Mackenzie Dern, Cynthia Calvillo, Tabatha Ricci, Piera Rodriguez, Vanessa Demopoulos, Sam Hughes, Bruna Brasil, Marnic Mann, Stephanie Luciano, and Talita Alencar.
“Last year, Lany was our only female fighter to go 3-0 in the LFA and the fans took notice,” stated Bieri. “This resulted in her winning the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Female Fighter of the Year. Her record is now 4-0 overall and she is excited to test herself against Naizi Cantanhede at LFA 175. That is the mindset that a matchmaker loves. Top prospects always wanting to test themselves against the best.”
Watch LFA 175: Lopes vs. Brigagão
Lany Silva’s chest tattoo says “I am the best”. She is ready to show why at LFA 175.
Cantanhede holds a perfect 6-0 record and will be the fifth consecutive undefeated opponent that Silva has faced since turning pro. Those five women combined held a record of 13-0 at the time they faced Silva and the young Baiana is confident she will run her record to 5-0 at LFA 175.
“I saw that she has some strong leg kicks, but she won’t go through my defense,” stated Silva. “Other than that, I didn’t feel any danger coming from her.”
Silva is now just 21-years-old, but her confidence going up against Cantanhede is real. It is the reason she tattooed Namajunas’ words “I am the best” across her chest. It is what propelled her to a flawless run in her first year with the LFA, which ended with her being named ‘Female Fighter of the Year’ by the fans. This success and confidence is also backed up by a striking pedigree that is synonymous with her home state of Bahia.
Lany Silva lands a brutal body shot to Sarah Barwick at LFA 171.
2016 Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceição as well as world champions Éverton Lopes and Acelino “Popó” Freitas are a trio of world-class boxers to come from Silva’s home state of Bahia. In MMA, there are also many Baianos that have found success with their fists and feet. This list of names includes Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antônio Rogério Nogueira, Junior Dos Santos, Jailton Almeida, Kaynan Kruschewsky, and Rodrigo Lídio. It just so happens to be LFA star and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Lídio that Silva credits as her biggest influence along with André “Mascote” Lima and Michel “Pânico” Lima.
Silva’s striking pedigree, natural confidence, and continued success is also what is currently fueling her ambitions for 2024. “I want to do camps and fight in the United States,” Silva exclaimed. “My goal is then definitely closing the contract with the UFC. I feel ready.”
Now a resident of Guarulhos, which is the second largest city in Brazil’s most populous state of São Paulo, Silva is excited to enjoy the home crowd advantage once again at LFA 175. This is where she will be welcoming the undefeated Paraense fighter Cantanhede, who is traveling down from the north of Brazil for the highly-anticipated battle between two of the country’s brightest prospects.
You can watch Lany Silva face Naizi “Malvada” Cantanhede on the main card of LFA 175. The event takes place this Saturday, January 27th and it will be available worldwide on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
=====================================================================================================
In 2017, RFA and Legacy FC merged to form LFA, the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts. The combined forces of LFA launched the careers of over 300 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. In 2018, the promotion joined the Imperial Family Companies group (formerly London Trust Media). In 2019, the promotion announced a broadcast partnership with UFC FIGHT PASS®. In 2021, the LFA expanded internationally by hosting multiple events in Brazil.
Please visit LFA.com for bout updates and information. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. LFA is also on YouTube at @LFAfights, Instagram at @LFAfighting and X (formerly Twitter) at @LFAfighting.
About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. LFA was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, and Houston. Based in Las Vegas, NV, LFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About UFC FIGHT PASS®:
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit UFCFightPass.com.
About IMPERIAL FAMILY COMPANIES:
The Imperial Family Companies maintains a diversified portfolio with one common theme: bringing power to the people. The IFC is proud to partner with the LFA management team to showcase the greatest talents of tomorrow. Learn more about the IFC at ImperialFamily.com.
About GINÁSIO DO POLVILHO:
The Municipality of Cajamar, through the Department of Public Works and Services, coordinated the complete renovation of the entire structure of the Polvilho Gym. Maintenance and repairs were carried out in the entire infrastructure of the gym with new coverage, increase in the dimensions of the court, painting, accessibility to bathrooms, access ramp, installation of a new electronic scoreboard, new hydraulic basketball tables, renovation and installation of LED lighting in the entire indoor and outdoor area of the gym. The restructuring of the space will provide significant improvements for the court to host the numerous competitions held throughout the year and also for the sports projects in various modalities that the City Hall offers free of charge to the population. For more info visit the Cajamar official website.
