UFC Fight Night: Alexia Thainara vs Bruna Brasil Preview & Prediction
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A Strawweight rematch with a score to settle, the Brazilian Alexia Thainara looks to avenge her only career defeat against fellow national Bruna Brasil.
Alexia Thainara vs Bruna Brasil facts
What time are Alexia Thainara and Bruna Brasil expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer? Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 270
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
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UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer main card
Israel Adesanya vs Joe Pyfer (Middleweight)
Alexa Grasso vs Maycee Barber (Women’s Flyweight)
Michael Chiesa vs Niko Price (Welterweight)
Julian Erosa vs Lerryan Douglas (Featherweight)
Mansur Abdul Malik vs Yousri Belgaroui (Middleweight)
Terrance McKinney vs Kyle Nelson (Lightweight)
UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer prelims
Ignacio Bahamondes vs Tofiq Musayev (Lightweight)
Chase Hooper vs Lance Gibson Jr (Lightweight)
Marcin Tybura vs Tyrell Fortune (Heavyweight)
Casey ONeill vs Gabriella Fernandes (Women’s Flyweight)
Navajo Stirling vs Bruno Lopes (Light Heavyweight)
Ricky Simon vs Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight)
Alexia Thainara vs Bruna Brasil (Women’s Strawweight)
Alexia Thainara: Aggressive prospect out to settle an old score
Alexia Thainara (13-1) has made a strong start to her UFC career, submitting Molly McCann via a rear-naked choke on her debut in London before following up with a decision win over Loma Lookboonmee in Perth. The Brazilian prospect fights with an aggression and urgency that stands out in the women's strawweight division, mixing leg kicks, 1-2s, and lead hooks into her legitimate grappling credentials, where her clinch trips and ground-and-pound have been effective in both UFC appearances. Her main weakness is her defensive irresponsibility, fighting with her hands low and dropping them further as the fight progresses. Her only professional loss came against this very opponent - Brasil submitted her back in 2019 on the regional scene.
Bruna Brasil: Experienced fighter on a quick turnaround after a tough loss
Bruna Brasil (11-6-1) returns to action this week just a couple of months after a unanimous decision loss to Ketlen Souza at UFC Vegas 113. The 32-year-old has alternated results throughout her UFC career, going 3-4 in the promotion with decision wins over Molly McCann and Shi Ming among her highlights. Brasil has more dynamic striking than Thainara with a good range of kicks and sharp knees on the opponents entry, but she lacks the same aggression and urgency. Her losses have exposed a pattern; she's physically less imposing than many of her opponents, when she gets hurt, she tries to evade rather than fire back, and shows a lack of commitment when shooting for takedowns.
Alexia Thainara vs Bruna Brasil prediction
This is a rematch from their bout in 2019 where Brasil submitted Thainara via guillotine, but both fighters have evolved significantly since then, and the trajectory favours Thainara.
The striking battle is closer than it might appear. Brasil has more variety in her kicks and throws sharp knees, but those knees are most effective against shorter fighters who level-change and need to close the distance more, Thainara strikes from further out and shouldn't present those opportunities as frequently. Thainara's striking is simpler but effective - her 1-2s, leg kicks, and lead hooks are consistent weapons, and most importantly her volume stays high throughout while Brasil has shown a tendency to slow down as fights progress.
Defensively, neither fighter is particularly sound, and if the fight comes to a finish, Thainara is the more likely candidate. She has the aggression and urgency to chase for it, whereas Brasil has shown in recent losses that when she gets hurt, she tries to disengage entirely from the fight rather than show composure and turn the tide. Brasil had a good chance of finishing Molly McCann when she hurt her badly, but when the opportunity arose, she lost discipline and jumped in wildly rather than picking her shots.
Thainara's confidence and relentless pressure should make the difference here. Brasil doesn't carry the power to punish Thainara's defensive lapses, and with similar reach in this matchup, she won't be able to exploit the openings her previous opponents have.
Prediction: Alexia Thainara to win
