Bia Mesquita had a lot of pressure centred on her debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship but acclaimed submission grappling standout had a show out performance at UFC Rio. Mesquita was the partisan favorite over the weekend and the Brazilian combatant showed out in Rio De Janeiro with a submission in the second stanza over Irina Alekseeva by way of a rear naked choke on the October 11th UFC Fight Night.
At the post-fight press conference when discussing her thoughts on how her UFC debut played out against a fighter who many were calling ‘Russian Ronda Rousey’, Bia Mesquita said,
“This is the perfect scenario I could ever imagine in my life—doing my debut at home, with the fans, my family watching me, with this warm welcome to the UFC. I’m just so happy that I could put on my game, everything that we have been training and planned for this fight. It went very well and I could get the finish in the second round. I’m just so happy that all the job I’ve been putting in is working and everything is falling into place in the best way it could be.”
“I was really surprised she survived the first round. I could get my ground and pound really going on that very first round, but she proved she’s a survivor. But I knew the key for this fight was to be patient, that my submission would come. I would be able to put my game on, and that’s exactly what happened. I had good control in the first round and got my submission in the second round because I was patient. I knew she would give me something, and that’s what happened. She gave her back and there was nowhere for her to go after that.”
Bia Mesquita looks forward to showing of well roundedness in subsequent UFC fights
Bia Mesquita is now 6-0 in pro MMA with the now 1-0 UFC fighter excited to show more dimension to her game going forward. The former LFA flyweight champion is regarded by many as the best women’s submission grappler of all time but has ever sharpening tools in her proverbial tool box. Mesquita had one of the more standout performances at UFC Rio on a night that ended off with the triumphant return to winning ways for former UFC champion Charles Oliveira.
Mesquita spoke about the improvements in her striking and takedowns in the aftermath of her UFC Rio win. While not being obtuse to what her primary tool is and what can work best for her strategically, there is that desire for the 34-year-old to keep sharpening her striking acumen going forward.