Out UFC fighter Macy Chiasson took another step toward a potential UFC Bantamweight championship shot by defeating fellow out UFC fighter and former number one contender Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 303 Saturday night.
That victory came in unexpected and gruesome fashion.
The fight ended due to doctor’s stoppage midway through the second round after Chiasson mounted Silva and delivered an elbow that immediately opened a deep gash above Silva’s right eye. A particular slow-motion replay on the broadcast showed that the cut immediately began to bleed upon impact.
The fight was officially ruled a TKO victory for Chiasson, her second consecutive win after returning from an 18-month absence from the Octagon in March. The win earned her a Performance of the Night bonus from UFC President Dana White.
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“I wish I could’ve made a different statement out there,” Chiasson said during her post-fight press conference. “Bueno Silva’s a warrior, man. She’s one of the tougher people that I’ve had the opportunity to fight in this division. But it’s just a result and a statement of the consistency that I’ve been putting in for so long … it’s just finally coming together, so it feels good.”
Chiasson said she believes she is one or two fights away from challenging for the UFC Bantamweight title, currently held by fellow out UFC fighter Raquel Pennington, after defeating Silva. The win will likely push Chiasson, who entered UFC 303 ranked seventh in the division, into the top five and potentially top three of ranked contenders for Pennington’s title.
Pennington is likely to face former UFC Bantamweight champion Julianna Pena in her first title defense with a fight tentatively set for October. Chiasson was quick to throw her hat into the ring as a potential injury replacement for that title fight should the UFC ask.
Despite the constant flow of blood and the severity of the cut, which drew audible groans from the crowd during a close-up shot, Silva continued to protest the doctor’s decision. She left the octagon after the fight was called to lobby White at his ringside seat.
Chiasson sympathized with Silva’s desire to continue but agreed with the decision to stop the fight.
“It was a pretty big cut,” Chiasson said.
Regardless of the designation in the record books, Chiasson beamed in victory, noting that she feels exactly where she needs to be after taking a long break from the UFC to address physical and mental health struggles that almost sapped the love of fighting out of her.
“There was a lot of things I needed to clean up,” she said. “ I needed that year-and-a-half off to be exactly where I am right now. I really do.”
