Tina Black wants everyone to know her name by the end of The Ultimate Fighter 34. And not just for herself.
Currently competing as a strawweight on the latest season of the UFC’s long-running reality competition, Black spoke to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz about her transformation from Valesca Machado to Tina Black, her decision to move to California to train with Urijah Faber and Team Alpha Male, and her promise to not return to her homeland of Brazil until she has a UFC contract in hand.
The origin of her nickname began in her childhood but has taken on greater importance as the 30-year-old has risen through the MMA ranks.
“My nickname came from my brother, who used to call me ‘Tinininha’ when I was little,” Black told MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz. “As I got older, everyone started calling me Tina. When I started fighting, I went by ‘Tina Silva.’ I had really big afro hair, and my friend [former UFC fighter] Poliana Botelho said, ‘Why don’t you drop Tina Silva and go with Tina Black?’ Everyone thinks it’s because of my skin color, but it’s actually because of my afro hair.
“It’s also because I really want to represent black people and show that we have our place, we have our voice, and we can achieve anything we want. We deal with prejudice. Only someone with black skin truly knows the prejudice we face and the looks we get from society. Society isn’t used to seeing black people at the top, but we’re fighting to earn our place.”
Black established herself as one of the top strawweight prospects in the world well before the call came to join the TUF 34 cast. In 2022, she won an Invicta FC tournament to capture a 115-pound title and then in 2024, she became a champion in Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat promotion with a thunderous face-plant knockout over Taylor Mauldin.
Through it all, her message has remained clear.
“I definitely think it is, and that’s why I decided to carry that message,” Black said when asked if there’s enough of an anti-prejudice stance in MMA. “I really want people to see that we need to keep raising the black flag. By doing that, I hope everyone from the communities, everyone who’s black, will raise that flag with me.”
Black hit a wall in 2023 when she lost to Danni McCormack in her first defense of her Invicta strawweight title. The setback led her to overhaul her training and preparation, beginning with her joining Faber’s famed Alpha Male gym in 2023.
“Everything changed for me when I lost the Invicta title,” Black said. “I had already come here and done a training camp, but I had to go back to Brazil because of my visa. That affected my life and my career a lot. I thought, ‘That was my opportunity. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another one.’
“I felt like something was missing. I believe God spoke to me and said, ‘I have something bigger for you.’ I felt that in my heart. I talked to Urijah, and he embraced my dream and gave me this opportunity, so I came here. I arrived without speaking any English. I’ve been here for three years now, and it’s incredible to train with a Hall of Famer.”
In the two-plus years since Black has planted her flag in the U.S., she has not set foot in her native Brazil. Her exile is strictly self-imposed, with the condition that she cannot go home until she is officially a UFC fighter.
“I promised my parents and my family that I’d only come back home with a UFC contract, and once I put something in my heart and in my mind, nobody can change it,” Black said. “I’m only going home with that contract. I believe I’ll be back in December. I truly believe I’ll return home in December with my UFC contract.”
After her first fight of the TUF 34 season, Black is one step closer to her goal. Black faced Brazilian rival Natalia Alves in the quarterfinals and despite Alves coming in half a pound over the strawweight limit, Black dominated her for the majority of the contest before forcing a knockout stoppage in Round 2.
Her semifinal matchup is yet to be announced, but Black appears to be on a collision course with another Brazilian, GiGi Canuto, who scored a fast knockout over Black’s Team Daniel Cormier teammate Anita Karim.
Black has frequently been at odds with Alves and Canuto on the show, and Canuto confronted Black following her win, seemingly setting up a heated grudge match. Fans won’t know for another couple of episodes if Black and Canuto meet before the finale, but it’s definitely the fight Black wanted.
“She always wanted to be the center of attention,” Black said of Canuto. “Whenever she saw a camera, she’d suddenly become outspoken. Behind the cameras, she didn’t do anything, but in front of them she had a lot to say. She wanted to steal my moment, but that was my moment. So I told her she’d be next.
“I’m not afraid. Where I come from, people aren’t afraid of anything. I grew up in the favela and I’m not going to back down from anyone. I might go down, but if I do, I’ll go down shooting [laughs].”
