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Mayra Bueno Silva’s mom wanted her to quit MMA after earning UFC contract on Contender Series

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Mayra Bueno Silva made it to the UFC after winning four fights on the Brazilian regional circuit plus a 62-second finish on Contender Series Brazil, but it took a while for her mother to really understand what was going on.

Silva was signed to be part of the UFC’s first season of Contender Series Brazil in August. There she made quick work of Mayana Kellen in Las Vegas, and her experience leaving the country of Brazil for the first time was different than anything she had ever imagined.

After receiving the biggest paycheck of her life — and already spending all of it — “Sheetara” returns less than two months later to face Gillian Robertson at the UFC Sao Paulo event Saturday night in Brazil.