Outside Source
Sherdog.com visited the host hotel in Rio de Janeiro on Monday and chatted with the most anticipated newcomer for the event, 10-time jiu-jitsu world champion Beatriz Mesquita. Born in Rio de Janeiro, the American Top Team athlete will make her dream UFC debut against “Russian Ronda,” Irina Alekseeva.
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“I’m incredibly motivated for this UFC debut, fighting in my hometown, with the support of the fans, 16 months after my MMA debut,” the black belt told Sherdog. She arrives at the world’s biggest promotion after winning the Legacy Fighting Alliance belt 12 months after her MMA debut. Weighing in at 67 kilograms (147 pounds) four days before weigh-ins, Mesquita assures she won’t have any problems with the scale.
“I’m very professional about it. I’ve been fighting jiu-jitsu since I was 6 years old, and I’ve been competing my entire life,” she said. “I’m proud to say I’ve never missed weight. And look, in jiu-jitsu, you weigh in on the day of the fight. In MMA, I still have 24 hours to recover, so you can rest assured I’ll make weight on Friday.”
Analyzing her opponent, Mesquita sees a favorable matchup for her debut.
“One obvious thing for my opponents is to try to keep the fight standing,” Mesquita said. “But since I’ve seen her last fights, and she likes the grappling game, I think she’ll accept the ground game. Even Klaudia Sygula, who beat her in her last fight, helped me a lot at ATT. I’ve evolved a lot in my stand-up and wrestling, but obviously my expectation is to get a takedown and finish as quickly as possible.”
Mesquita Inspired by UFC Bantamweight Queen
With UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison as one of her main training partners, Mesquita acknowledges that the Olympic champion’s support was crucial to her development.
“She welcomed me very warmly, and I helped her throughout the camps, especially with the ground game,” Mesquita said. “And my entry into the UFC didn’t shake our friendship at all. Quite the contrary, she continued to be incredibly helpful. Kayla is truly a huge inspiration. Having lost a lot of weight to reach this division, she’s in the gym every day, and that’s incredibly inspiring. She never loses her training rhythm and never reaches her comfort zone. Something I’ve always had, too. And that’s what makes the difference between a good fighter and a champion.”
While she doesn’t hide her ambition to be where her teammate is today, Mesquita knows the road to the top of the division is still long and isn’t thinking about a confrontation with Harrison.
“My plan is to win this first fight well. Then, if I win two more, I think I’ll reach the rankings. The road is long, and I don’t know if she’ll still be fighting when my time comes to fight for the belt. The most important thing is that there’s no competition between us. For now, we’re a team and we continue to help each other, literally exchanging blows everyday, and this has been very good for both of our developments.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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