What does it mean to be a UFC champion these days? To the residents of Natalia Silva's hometown in Brazil, apparently not much.
Oftentimes when a newly crowned UFC champ returns home with the belt, they receive a "hero's welcome," but that was not the case for Silva coming off her women's flyweight title victory over Wang Cong at UFC 332.
Sadly, nobody came, as you can see in video below of Silva standing with the belt in the back of a pickup truck parading through the empty streets of Pingo-d'Água, Minas Gerais.
Natalia Silva was EXPECTING a HUGE welcome home celebration for winning the UFC belt ⚡️
— SU 🥋 (@Nolimitsu_) October 9, 2026
( Nobody came ) pic.twitter.com/i4dtRAcqBy
The "Rocky" music playing, the one coach lighting fireworks – sad scenes. It would've been nice if someone
told Silva the parade wouldn't pan out how she thought.
The good news is that Silva doesn't need a bunch of fans to validate her remarkable run to the UFC title – a 15-fight overall winning streak with nine UFC victories, including three over former champs.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC champ Natalia Silva's homecoming parade doesn't go quite as planned
