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Bruna Brasil Eyes The Rankings Prize
Strawweight Bruna Brasil Looks To Begin A Contention Campaign With Short Notice Assignment Rematch In Seattle
It is a long, strange collision of circumstance and coincidence that Bruna Brasil is in Seattle this week, preparing to open the prelims for UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer.
For starters, it’s a bout that didn’t initially feature her, or even her opponent Alexia Thainara. It began as a matchup between Carol Foro and Nicolle Caliari. Caliari got injured and had to pull out, and was replaced by Stephanie Luciano. Next, it was Foro who had to pull out, and was subsequently replaced by Thainara, who watched as Luciano was removed due to injury, to eventually be replaced by Brasil.
Did you follow all that?
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Adding to the unexpected whirlwind, Brasil was just a few days removed from her last UFC bout, a competitive loss to Ketlen Souza at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on February 7th.
"I had two weeks, like, you know, to enjoy a vacation. And then my manager called me, and I went back to the gym. And I'm here now,” she beams, retelling the story via interpreter to UFC.com.
That’s a pretty tight turnaround for any fighter, let alone one who went the distance in a loss, but there was never a question for the strawweight once she realized this matchup had particular upside.
“If I win, I'm going to be in the rankings. So it's very important for me. I'm excited for this fight. It's my comeback.”
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She did much of the shorter camp in Las Vegas, where, despite being far from Brazil, felt as close to home as it possibly could have in the company of her wayward UFC compatriots.
"It is always good to have high-level colleagues on my team. For this camp, I had Luana Santos help me. Karine (Silva) always helps me — she's helped me get to another level. So it was very nice to have some good partners.
“And also, of course, Caio (Borralho) as a coach.”
From the footage making the rounds online, it’s evident the drills were as intense as they were extensive, making the most of the relatively short timeline to be ready Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena.
Apart from the inherent benefits of having a number next to your name, Brasil is looking to put together a consistent campaign that will gradually make that number smaller and smaller. Since her devastating head kick knockout of Marnic Mann secured her a UFC contract on the 2022 season of Dana White’s Contender Series, Brasil has alternated wins and losses each time out.
“I will give more in this fight, for sure. In my last loss, I left it in the judges hands. I own that.”
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
Another factor that made this bout an easy “yes” for Brasil is her opponent, a woman she has faced before…and won.
The two last crossed paths in 2019 in the Thunder Fight promotion, where Brasil finished the fight in the third round with a guillotine choke. To date, it’s Thainara’s only professional loss, and she’ll be eager to settle the score.
Add to that seven years of evolution have followed for both fighters, and the streaking No. 13 Thainara she meets in Seattle will bear little resemblance to the one she submitted on the regional scene in São Paulo.
Still, Brasil has seen enough to make a prediction of how it will go.
"She is very good in grappling, so I believe she's going to try to take me down,” she says plainly. But after 18 pro bouts, she has also noticed a pattern.
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“I think my adversaries always change their style because of my stance during a fight. I think she's going to bring a little chaos, trying to throw some punches. But at the end of the day, she'll try to grab me and put me down."
And how will she counter that attack?
"I think my posture in this fight is going to change her energy. I'm planning to strike. I'm going to hit her hard, and she's going to change. Let's see."
UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer took place live from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on March 28, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!