Valentina Shevchenko won’t beat me, says flyweight contender Natalia Silva

UFC flyweight contender Natalia Silva doesn’t believe Valentina Shevchenko would be able to defeat her if they fought.

Tonight, Natalia Silva will go head to head with Rose Namajunas in one of the biggest fights on the UFC 324 card. The expectation for many is that the winner will go on to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC women’s flyweight championship, and as you can imagine, there’s a lot of excitement over the possibility of Rose getting that shot given her popularity and pedigree in the sport.

RELATED: Alexa Grasso’s former rival set to replace her vs. Rose Namajunas in UFC 324 fight

Alas, Natalia Silva isn’t the kind of fighter you can just dismiss with ease. She has won 13 fights in a row in mixed martial arts, and she seems to be ready to step up to the next level. She has a great set of skills, and she’ll be full of confidence ahead of this contest.

In the recent pre-fight press conference, Silva gave her thoughts on a possible collision with Shevchenko.

Silva’s view on possible Shevchenko fight

“I wanted to get a shot at the title before, but the UFC said Valentina was not going to be available to fight so soon. So they offered Rose’s name and we accepted it,” Silva told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at a UFC 324 pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I’m the person that had done the most in the organization and the person that was ready for this was me.”

“A win against Rose already gives me the credentials to actually fight for the title,” Silva said. “The UFC has said that this is an elimination fight and that the next one will be for the title.”

“Valentina is not going to beat me, and I’m going to be a champion and beat her,” Silva said. “I worked every day in every single area possible. Whether it’s going to be striking or grappling, I’m going to beat her and I’m going to be a champion.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments, BJPENN Nation!