Athletes
Bruna Brasil: "I'm Going To Bring The House Down"
Moving Up To Flyweight, Bruna Brasil Hopes To Secure Her Second Win In A Row As She Faces Wang Cong At UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2
Bruna Brasil isn’t unfamiliar with the underdog role. She walked into Co-op Live in Manchester to face Molly McCann, a fan-favorite fighting close to her hometown of Liverpool and dominated for 15 minutes. It was arguably Brasil’s best performance of her short UFC tenure since she won a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2022. The bout, crucially, also pushed her Octagon record to .500 through four fights.
She walks into a similar position at UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 in Sydney, Australia. Although her opponent, Wang Cong, doesn’t come from Down Under, she is still the favorite, despite Brasil coming off a win and Cong coming off her first professional loss. However, Brasil doesn’t feel any type of way about it, seeing as she is coming up a weight class to take on Cong. That said, she’s eager to prove people wrong once again.
“I recently dreamed I landed a right hand, knocked her down and went for the ground-and-pound,” she told UFC.com. “That’s what I expect. If my dream comes true, it will be amazing.
“I’m going to bring the house down.”
Brasil’s confidence is inherent, but she also draws plenty of confidence from her teammates at the Fighting Nerds in Sao Paulo. The team had quite the breakout year in 2024, from middleweight Caio Borralho’s ascension into title contention to Carlos Prates, Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy making waves in their respective divisions. Brasil brought her own noise thanks to her win at UFC 304.
Full UFC 312 Fight Card Preview
In Sydney, Brasil hopes to secure the team’s first win of the year to get the party started in 2025.
“We motivate each other,” she said. “We inspire each other. The more successful people you have by your side, you naturally get inspired, so that's how I feel. The more successful we are, the more successful the team will be. What makes a team great is when one inspires the other.”
The momentum is surely reverberating through each of the fighters, each athlete brimming with swagger, whether they’re donning the team’s signature glasses or otherwise.
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Brasil knows she is the one who needs to bring her best form in Sydney, however. Moving up to face a highly regarded prospect is certainly a risk, especially as she seeks to kickstart her own momentum and get a streak of wins rolling. Cong, who recently lost her first professional fight in a disappointing performance last November, is more than keen to get back on the winning side of things.
More than anything, though, Brasil is motivated to put her best foot forward because the chips are stacked against her.
UFC 312 COUNTDOWN: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 | Zhang vs Suarez | Full Episode
“This fight is more about the challenge, the opportunity of being here, of being able to fight a tough opponent in a heavier division,” Brasil said. “That's what gives me more confidence and motivation to perform. It's the challenge, it's how difficult it is. I think that's what makes me a huge fighter. I'm very excited to face her and to show everybody my skills once again.”
Brasil said she plans to return to the strawweight division after this fight—the physical demands of a run at flyweight would take more time to add the proper muscle mass—but a second win in a row does push her toward her goal of getting a Top 15 strawweight by year’s end.
UFC 312 FREE FIGHTS: Du Plessis vs Strickland 1 | Zhang vs Yan | Strickland vs Costa | Du Plessis vs Adesanya | Suarez vs Andrade
It’s all part of the journey for the 31-year-old, and she is relishing every moment.
“I'm glad to be experiencing all of this,” she said. “I'm feeling comfortable.”
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia on February 8, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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