Athletes
Dione Barbosa | Keep Moving Forward
Brazilian Flyweight Is Taking The Rough With The Smooth, And Plans To Always Return To The Octagon A Better Fighter Than Last Time.
Dione Barbosa knows she’s not the finished article, but she’s working hard to ensure she’s a little bit better every time she steps into the Octagon.
Barbosa’s run in the UFC has been something of a mixed bag so far as she has alternated wins and losses through her first four fights on the big stage.
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The Contender Series graduate claimed a unanimous decision victory over Ernesta Kareckaite on her Octagon debut in May 2024 but dropped a decision to seasoned contender Miranda Maverick two and a half months later. “The Witch” then bounced back with an arm-triangle submission of Diana Belbita that earned her a Performance of the Night bonus. But her hopes of building momentum by claiming back-to-back victories were dashed by Karine Silva, who defeated Barbosa via unanimous decision at UFC 319.
It means that Barbosa’s UFC record currently stands at 2-2. But the 33-year-old submission specialist has taken the positives from her time in the Octagon so far.
“I think it's really good experience for me to have four fights in the UFC,” she said. “I’m looking to get more experience, and after that, think about climbing the division, then staying on top of the division. But I’m so happy. Of course, I have two defeats in the UFC – hard fights with Top 10 (fighters) in the division – but it gave me a lot of experience, so I'm happy. Right now, I feel like I’m better than ever. And with all the experience from these four fights, I can think about moving forward in this division.”
The defeats to notable opposition in Maverick and Silva have given Barbosa a glimpse of what life in the flyweight top 15 might look like But she’s taken stock following those defeats and, thanks to the tutelage of legendary coach Rafael Cordeiro, Barbosa is focusing on her fight-to-fight development, regardless of results.
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On the topic of defeats, Barbosa stated, “It’s part of the sport. Sometimes the things don't go the way we like, or think they should be. Having these defeats are really hard in the moment to understand why. But I just think like, ‘OK, I need the feedback from everybody possible around me.’
“In the beginning, of course, we feel a little bit of frustration, but it’s part of the sport. It’s like, ‘fall seven times, but stand up eight’. I just think about ‘OK, I need to move forward as soon as possible, get better, and get back to the cage as soon as possible, too.’
Dione Barbosa Submits Belbita In Round 1 | UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Murphy
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Dione Barbosa Submits Belbita In Round 1 | UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Murphy
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"Rafael Cordeiro is a great coach, and he’s taught me a lot about keeping moving forward. Things happen for a reason, and don't stop. Just keep being consistent, doing little by little. This is how champions are made. Losses are part of the game. But the real champions, they show up.”
Barbosa will look to bounce back on Saturday night against Melissa Gatto, who snapped a two-fight skid with a body-shot knockout of Tamires Vidal at the Meta APEX in May 2024. Now, after a lengthy layoff, Gatto is back, and Barbosa is excited for the matchup that could materialize on fight night.
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“This fight on Saturday will be a really good fight,” she predicted. “Melissa has had a long time in the UFC science I'm like, I'm debuting, like, my pro debut. She’s not as active as myself – we have almost the same number of fights in the UFC – but she’s been in the UFC longer than me, so she has the experience. I think it will be a really good fight. She's a great fighter, and me too. So I'm ready to show off all my hard work.“
Barbosa wants to use 2026 as a building year as she adds more experience to her resumé, while putting more tallies in her win column, as she bids to climb the division gradually to eventually earn herself a spot in the flyweight top 15. But don’t mistake her career patience with fight-night sluggishness. When the Octagon door shuts on fight night, she’ll be going for the finish at all times.
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"I’m ready for anything,” she said. “I’m really comfortable fighting in the striking, and then going to the ground, too. So I feel ready for any part of the fight, and wherever it goes, I’m waiting to finish the fight.
“In a perfect world, I will knock her out.”
UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Duncan took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!