Karine Silva

Karine Silva is a 32-year-old Brazilian submission specialist competing at women's flyweight in the UFC, currently ranked #10 in the division. She made an extraordinary sacrifice to pursue fighting: at 19, she left her job as a saleswoman to move into a martial arts academy, working odd jobs as a security guard, masseuse, and receptionist while training in luta livre, wrestling, and muay Thai. After dominating Brazilian regional promotions and winning a spot on Dana White's Contender Series with a second-round guillotine choke, Silva arrived in the UFC in June 2022 and immediately caught attention with three consecutive first-round finishes (submissions via brabo choke, kneebar, and guillotine), earning a Performance of the Night award and establishing herself as a legitimate prospect.

Silva's style is relentless pressure grappling centered on submission hunting. She hunts the back, neck, and legs from scrambles, executing multiple submission attempts per round (guillotine, brabo choke, kneebar, heel hook, armbar, triangle) and defending takedowns through active off-the-back positioning rather than sprawling. She lands solid striking in the clinch and at distance, but her identity is forcing opponents to the mat and keeping them in scrambles. Across her professional record, she has recorded 9 knockout wins, 8 submission wins, and 13 first-round finishes, showcasing both submission prowess and knockout power.

After a loss to Viviane Araújo in November 2024, Silva entered the decision grind of ranked flyweight competition. She beat Dione Barbosa via unanimous decision at UFC 319 in August 2025 in a controversial call that drew skepticism from fans and ESPN broadcast analysts over control time versus submission attempts. Subsequent losses to Maycee Barber and Jasmine Jasudavicius in unanimous decisions (December 2025 and April 2026) have stalled her ascent. For casual fans, Silva represents the appeal of a technique-first submission artist with a genuine underdog origin story and relentless cage aggression, though her recent tendency toward narrow decision results has tempered her upside.