On Christmas Eve, 2024 — 4 days after she turned 19 —, Alice Pereira noticed UFC CEO Dana White announce she had signed with the corporate. A uncommon announcement coming straight from the pinnacle of the UFC, particularly for a 5-0 expertise from Brazil, instantly put the “Golden Woman” on the radar of the MMA world.
“That was very surreal,” Pereira stated of watching UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard FaceTime her to make the provide — whereas sporting a shirt together with her title on it. “Nonetheless to today, after I look again at it, we’re nonetheless in shock with all the things that occurred, however with that feeling of pleasure that we have been capable of do what we had deliberate. Since my debut, each struggle we did, each Instagram put up I made, each point out, it was all for a cause. From the beginning, after I stated what I wished, we had a plan set.”
Pereira, who at all times urged followers to tag Maynard on her social media posts after every MMA win, will turn into the youngest lady to compete for the UFC when she enters the octagon Saturday to battle Montserrat Rendon at Noche UFC in San Antonio, Texas.
“That was the intention. I had that ambition from the beginning, the dream of being the youngest woman [in the UFC],” Pereira stated. “From the second I spotted the UFC wasn’t such a distant dream, I began to get bold. I set out objectives, and one the objectives was to be the youngest woman within the UFC. The precise objective was to be there by 18. It occurred 4 days later, nevertheless it’s alright, it’s nice the way in which it occurred [laughs]. It felt nice that I had achieved this, that my prediction grew to become true.”
Pereira began coaching as a younger child in Brazil and went to the fitness center seven days every week with out her mom’s consent. Her mother wished to see Pereira have an everyday profession, however she fought by for the last word dream. Pereira is now 6-0 as an expert with 4 knockouts and one submission to her credit score, and feels relaxed with all the eye and stress {that a} UFC debut brings.
“I take a bathe earlier than going to mattress and I’m considering, ‘Man, I’m too calm. I don’t know if that’s good or dangerous,’” Pereira stated. “The phrase of the second is that this: calm. After I take into consideration the struggle, I’m calm. After I take into consideration conditions that may occur within the struggle, dangerous conditions that may occur, I’m calm. I don’t know if that’s good, however I’m too relaxed for this struggle. I’m so assured within the consequence, assured that I’ll have the ability to placed on a very good struggle to be pleased with.”
The octagon debut will come 9 months after signing with the promotion, and Pereira feels Rendon is the proper match-up to introduce her title and expertise to the world. The 36-year-old Rendon is 1-1 with a pair of selections within the UFC, defeating Tamires Vidal earlier than shedding to Darya Zheleznyakova in March 2024.
“Rendon walks ahead and once you push her she tries to grapple, and we all know [she will try that],” Pereira stated. “We expect that’s what’s going to occur as a result of I wish to impose my sport on the ft, and I do know it’s going to be higher than hers. It’s not a very good match-up for her, ? However I’m able to get out of the clinch or work on the clinch if I really feel prefer it, too.”
