The UFC world has one other newlywed couple this month when bantamweight fighter Maira Bueno Silva, higher often known as “Sheetala,” exchanged vows with longtime associate Gloria de Paula. The Brazilian couple, who’ve been relationship since assembly at São Paulo’s Shootbox health club in 2016, celebrated their marriage with an intimate elopement ceremony within the US, captured by photographer Wol e de Paula and shared on social media.
Mayra Bueno Silva and Gloria de Paula get married
The 2 married by way of an “elopement wedding ceremony,” which is outlined as a ceremony centered on celebrating a pair’s love alone. The photographer posted in regards to the occasion, explaining that the elopement focuses on the couple’s connection reasonably than a big celebration format. The photographer mentioned he traveled to america to seize this second of each fighters.
Silva has spoken brazenly about De Paula’s function throughout a troublesome interval for him personally. In a 2023 interview with ESPN Brazil, Silva mentioned he had been battling melancholy and suicidal ideas a number of years in the past. Silva defined that de Paula sacrificed his personal preventing alternatives to deal with Silva throughout this era. De Paula declined to compete within the UFC partially as a result of he wanted to assist Silva, which affected De Paula’s efficiency in his personal fights. Silva credit her associate with serving to her get better and in the end attain the title image.
UFC profession
Maira Bueno Silva, 34, competes within the UFC’s girls’s bantamweight division and is ranked eleventh within the weight class as of November 2025. Born August 22, 1991 in Uberlandia, Brazil, Silva has constructed a profession marked by highly effective submissions and notable wins.
She made her UFC debut in September 2018 towards Jillian Robertson, profitable by submission within the first spherical. Amongst her profession highlights was a 2023 win over former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm, the place Silva utilized a guillotine choke to Holm simply 38 seconds into the second spherical. This efficiency garnered Silva consideration and established him as a prime contender within the division. Silva challenged Raquel Pennington for the vacant UFC girls’s bantamweight title at UFC 297 in January 2024, however misplaced by unanimous determination.
Gloria de Paula, 30, has additionally competed on the skilled degree of blended martial arts. Born June 10, 1995, De Paula competes within the strawweight division of the UFC and holds an expert document of 6 wins and seven losses in a number of organizations. De Paula’s path to blended martial arts took an sudden route.
The daughter of a photographer, she labored as a photograph mannequin in her youth. De Paula began coaching Muay Thai along with her mom to enhance her health when she was in highschool and dealing with tutorial stress. She was so drawn to the game that she shifted her focus from the doorway examination to noticeably pursuing MMA. Her turning level got here at age 17, when she watched Ronda Rousey defend her UFC bantamweight title in simply 34 seconds, an occasion that impressed De Paula to develop into an MMA fighter herself.
De Paula earned a UFC contract in November 2020 by defeating Pauline Macias by unanimous determination on Dana White’s Contender Sequence. Throughout her time within the UFC, she confronted fighters akin to Jin Yu Frey, Diana Berbicha, María Oliveira, and Carolina Wojcik. She confronted Deanna Berbisha in February 2022 and gained one match, however suffered losses within the different matches. De Paula’s final recorded skilled battle got here in August 2024 at LFA 190, the place she misplaced a unanimous determination to Ashley Yoder.
The 2 met whereas coaching at Shootbox Diego Lima, considered one of Brazil’s most revered blended martial arts services. São Paulo-based Shootbox has constructed a popularity for coaching world-class fighters, emphasizing Muay Thai hanging mixed with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling fundamentals. All through its historical past, this health club has produced a number of notable UFC fighters and champions.
Silva has fought in each the UFC’s bantamweight and flyweight divisions, however his dwelling stays within the bantamweight division. Her current document reveals three consecutive losses to Raquel Pennington in January 2024, Macy Chiasson in June 2024, and Jasmine Jasdavicius in February 2025. Regardless of these setbacks, Silva has earned two Struggle of the Evening bonuses and two Efficiency of the Evening bonuses all through his time within the UFC.
The couple is energetic on social media and repeatedly shares their lives with their followers. Silva’s Instagram account has gained hundreds of followers who observe her preventing profession and private updates. Each fighters stay concerned in martial arts, with Silva actively competing within the UFC, whereas de Paula has taken a break from energetic competitors in recent times.
