Athletes
Bruna Brasil Embraces The Discomfort
After Picking Up Her First UFC Win, Bruna Brasil Hopes To Kickstart A Run Up The Strawweight Ladder At UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer
Making it to the UFC is one thing, but every mixed martial artist learns at some point that cementing one’s self in the organization is an entirely different goal with a whole slew of its own obstacles. To compete at the highest level requires consistent improvement and adjustment while also thwarting the rest of the best in the world. It’s a lesson that comes at one point or another throughout the athlete’s first contract, and Dana White’s Contender series alumna Bruna Brasil realized as much after splitting her first two trips to the Octagon.
“I’ve learned that fighting in the UFC comes with a big responsibility,” Brasil told UFC.com. “It’s actually much harder to stay here. You have to work a lot harder. Your opponents are tougher. So that really makes me want to be and stay here, and also pursue my biggest goal, which is to become a champion.”
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Brasil was deemed a prospect to watch after a second-round head kick earned her a UFC contract, but she stumbled out of the gate when she lost to Denise Gomes via second-round TKO. It was Brasil’s first loss in MMA since 2017, snapping her seven-fight winning streak.
She picked herself up four months later when she beat Shauna Bannon in the Irishwoman’s promotional debut at UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs Tybura.
“Winning is all that matters to me,” Brasil said. “Obviously, facing adversity is part of the game. But I always look for the win and it was very important to get my first UFC win. I hope I’ll continue on this path.”
As she approaches her third jaunt to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer, Brasil isn’t getting ahead of herself just because she got her hand raised once in London.
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In fact, she is embracing a state of uneasiness when it comes to her career.
“I think in order to achieve my goal and become a champion, I have to feel uncomfortable and be constantly looking to improve, always working hard so I can achieve my goal,” she said. “I have to work very hard every day no matter what. It’s never been easy and it still isn’t. I'm sure tomorrow will still be as hard, and I’m OK with that because I am capable of overcoming any adversity.”
Bruna Brasil Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer
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Bruna Brasil Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer
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Her next adversity comes in the form of Loma Lookboonmee, who she faces in the UFC APEX on February 10. Lookboonmee has become a steady presence in the strawweight division since joining the roster in 2019, and with seven UFC bouts under her belt, the Thai 28-year-old is hoping to tally her fifth win in six fights.
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It’s a perfect test for Brasil at this point in her career. If she wants to climb the ranks at 115 quickly, Lookboonmee is someone who has floated right around the Top 15 in the last couple of years.
Lookboonmee is the caliber of opponent who, if Brasil intends to become a meaningful presence in the organization, as well, the Brazilian needs to beat.
“I’m expecting it to be a war,” Brasil said. “I always see it as the hardest fight of my life, even if it isn't. That's what I’m expecting. I’ve prepared for the hardest fight. I’m prepared to endure any kind of pain and get the win.”
Brasil got her first UFC win out of the way. Now she continues into the work to solidify her spot at the top level of the sport. After that? Maybe there’s a shot at gold down the road, but Brasil knows that she first must excel in discomfort if she wants to continue racking up milestone accomplishments, and that is something she has embraced.
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 10, 2024. See the Final Main Card & Prelim Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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