Eduarda Moura returns to the flyweight division to face Veronica Hardy at UFC 309 after struggling with weight cuts in the strawweight division, acknowledging the challenges she faced and expressing her determination to fight across different weight classes in the future.
Eduarda Moura is making her return to the flyweight division this Saturday at UFC 309 in New York, where she’ll face Veronica Hardy. But don’t think she’s done with the 115-pound strawweight class just yet.
In the UFC, Moura has twice missed the strawweight limit. Those bouts ended with a second-round finish over Montserrat Conejo and a split decision loss to Denise Gomes last June. Cutting down to 115 pounds for the Gomes fight was particularly grueling. Her team is now investigating what went wrong, aiming to fix it. For now, staying at flyweight means an easier weight cut compared to the brutal 17-pound drop she recently endured.
“My body rejected it,” Moura confessed in an interview with MMA Fighting. “I basically didn’t sleep during fight week due to cramps. I’m traumatized but will return to 115—just not right now [laughs]. We can tweak a few things and study more. Truth is, I just want to fight.”
The 30-year-old Brazilian revealed that her coaches stayed up massaging her through the cramps before her last weigh-in. She even vomited moments after stepping on the scale.
“I left to vomit before the faceoff, and Denise got a bucket to help me,” Moura recalled. “I’ve never felt that way before. That weight cut took a toll on me and gave her more confidence seeing me like that.”
She continued, “I kept remembering that scene—her getting me a bucket. It was the first time I felt like crying before a fight. Frustrated I couldn’t make weight, I was nervous and tried to play it cool by singing as I walked out.”
“As soon as I shot for a takedown and she got the guillotine, brother… I wasn’t back to normal yet,” Moura admitted. “I felt my cardio slipping after that guillotine. I was fighting my mind and body just to keep going.”
Despite the setback, Moura sees her first professional defeat as liberating, calling it a “life-changing experience.” Hardy enters UFC 309 on a three-fight winning streak since joining in 2016, presenting “a good test” for Moura in this division.
“I want to be champion and believe I have advantages at strawweight,” Moura said confidently. “I’m tall, have good reach, and power too—but I’m still traumatized [laughs]. We’ll see about it.”
Hardy is known for her technical striking and good kicks; Moura plans to cut angles there. “Maybe I’ll plant some doubts in her head [laughs]. I’m ready for everything she brings.” This time, she’s not thinking she must take Hardy down at all costs.