Silva vs Fernandes: Finisher vs Volume Striker in an All-Brazilian Clash
Two Brazilians, two ranked flyweights and two very different ways of winning. Karine "Killer" Silva (#11, 19-7) meets Gabriella "Gabi" Fernandes (#14, 11-4) at UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs Brady, Saturday, Nov. 7, at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Silva has earned the nickname. Seventeen of her 19 wins came inside the distance, nine by knockout and eight by submission, and 13 of them ended in the first round. Only two (11%) went to the judges. Since joining the UFC in June 2022, she hasn't been a high-volume striker, landing 2.24 significant strikes per minute at 39% accuracy and absorbing 2.74, but she's a threat everywhere: a 0.16 knockdown average, 1.93 takedowns and 1.61 submission attempts per 15 minutes. Her average fight lasts 10:23. Most of her work happens standing (76% of significant strikes), with 16% in the clinch and 8% on the ground.
Fernandes, who made her UFC debut in February 2023, is by far the busier striker. She lands 3.51 significant strikes per minute at 47% accuracy, with a 0.21 knockdown average. Eighty-nine percent of her significant strikes come on the feet and the rest in the clinch, with none on the ground. She rarely looks for the mat, averaging 0.42 takedowns and 0.21 submission attempts per 15 minutes. Her wins are more evenly split: three knockouts, three submissions and five decisions (45%), with only one first-round finish. The cost of all that output is 5.31 significant strikes absorbed per minute, almost double Silva's figure.
Size won't settle much. Fernandes is an inch taller at 5-foot-6, Silva has an inch more reach at 67 inches, and both sit at 53% striking defense. Takedown defense is another story: Fernandes stops 69% of attempts, Silva only 26%, though Fernandes shoots so rarely that the hole may never get tested. Silva is 32, a year younger than Fernandes.
The paths are clear enough. Fernandes wants a long fight full of exchanges; her average bout runs 12:00. Silva needs one opening, and a fighter absorbing 5.31 strikes a minute tends to offer a few. So the question is simple: can Fernandes build a lead on volume before Silva finds the finish?
The card starts at 2 p.m. local time and the main card follows at 5 p.m. Silva has 13 first-round finishes on her record, so be in the building early. Get your seat: tickets for UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on Nov. 7.