She came out swinging—literally and figuratively—on August 2019’s UFC Shenzhen card, where she and fellow Brazilian Lara Procopio positively brawled for fifteen full minutes, with Rosa doing enough to score the spilt decision win. In the process, they set the then-record in women’s bantamweight for the most significant strikes, a record previously held by Rosa’s teammate and sparring partner Jessica Andrade (vs Rosi Sexton). Despite being highly regarded for their jiu-jitsu skills, it remains evident that the fighters of Parana Vale Tudo should be forever feared for their striking.
The hits kept coming. She got the unanimous nod versus Vanessa Melo at UFC 251 as she did against Joselyn Edwards seven months later. Most recently, she was seen retiring compatriot Bethe Correia last October. It was her biggest win to date, albeit an emotional one. She had watched and admired Correia when she was on the come-up, and admitted it was “bittersweet” to be the one who kept her from leaving on a high note, despite putting on what she described as her best performance to date, a performance that pushed her into the Top 15.
“She was an inspiration for me,” she would say following the fight. “She was very important to MMA in Brazil.”
It’s one pioneer down and another one on deck this week on the prelims of UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Daukaus when she meets Sara McMann, another fighter indispensable to the history of women’s MMA.
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“I’m really happy to fight with Sara because she’s a veteran and that’s great for my career.”
