Luana Pinheiro (8-1) rides the wave of six straight round one stoppages into her octagon debut at UFC Vegas 25. Alongside Boyfriend and cornerman #14 Flyweight Matheus Nicolau (16-2-1), they make up yet another power couple in the UFC. Nicolau won’t be competing at The Apex Center on Saturday, 5/1. Though Pinheiro will take on UFC vet Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos (10-10-1) headlining the prelims which start at 7 PM ET.
27-year-old Pinheiro was born in 1993 in the Brazilian State of Paraíba. Growing up in the coastal city João Pessoa surrounding the Paraíba River, Pinheiro first found her martial arts passion in the form of Judo. She now has a black belt in the discipline and can be seen implementing her devastating hip tosses and throws in every fight.
Along her journey, she relocated south to Belo Horizonte in the State of Minas Gerais where she found her new MMA homes at the famed home of Jose Aldo, Nova Uniao, and lesser-known BH Rhinos. She continued developing her skills earning a brown belt in BJJ and finding success on the Brazilian regional MMA scene. Her only loss came from a split decision, but she took the adversity on the chin and came back better yet.
Luana rolls into Sin City full of confidence after knocking out her last two opponents, one in front of Dana White on his Contender Series. The ground specialist also has five submissions on her record and only one of her wins have been by decision. Pinheiro hopes to make a name for herself in the Women’s Strawweight ranks with a seventh straight win at UFC Vegas 25.
Luana Pinheiro | 8-1 | 5’4 115 lbs. | Age 27 | Reach 62” | Orthodox Stance | Fighting Out of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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