Youngest Female in UFC History Set to Make Her Debut on Saturday

The Brazilian rising star, Alice Pereira, is set to make her UFC debut at Noche UFC this Saturday. While many thought there was a relation to the Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, there is no relation. Pereira, at only 19 years of age, will make history as the youngest female to ever be in the octagon. She stands at five feet ten inches tall with a 71-inch reach and is fighting in the Bantamweight division. She will be facing off against Montserrat Rendon, who is a fighter out of Mexico with both a win and a loss so far in the UFC, 6-1-0, all-time. Pereira will be coming into the fight undefeated in regional fights in South America, but is looking to put one in the win column in her debut. 

Pereira has a very winnable fight ahead of her, but Rendon will not go down easily. Rendon is coming off a loss to Darya Zhelezniakova and is looking to bounce back. Rendon will look to take Pereira down and use her ground game to outmuscle the young fighter. Rendon has a slight advantage in strength and has more UFC experience. However, Pereira is an extremely talented fighter with great footwork and powerful striking. Strategy can change for both fighters throughout this fight, depending on what they throw at each other. As a younger fighter, Pereira may come out of her corner fast, looking to use her high energy and find a quick finish. Rendon could use her defense first and use more of her energy as the fight progresses.

Alice Pereira has a very winnable fight ahead of her, but it will be a great lesson to the young fighter, win or lose. At only 19 years old, she has a long and bright future ahead of her. This is where she will be able to establish where she is comfortable on the mat, how to strategically use her offense and defense against tougher opponents, and work on technique as a whole. If she can pull off the win, this could be a serious launching pad into a great career.