Luana Pinheiro, one of the lightest strawweights in the UFC, is set to fight Gillian Robertson at UFC Vegas 100 and expressed interest in a potential 105-pound atomweight division, citing her fast metabolism and challenges maintaining weight for the 115-pound class.
Luana Pinheiro might just be one of the lightest strawweights on the UFC roster. She struggles to stay heavy enough for the 115-pound class.
This weekend, Pinheiro faces Gillian Robertson at UFC Vegas 100 in Las Vegas. It’s her seventh fight as a strawweight, including her stint on Dana White’s Contender Series. She’s excited about the potential of a 105-pound division in the UFC. Dana White hinted at “cultivating talent” with lighter fighters in South America and Asia.
“I never go over 121 pounds, so [atomweight] would be great,” Pinheiro mentioned in an interview with MMA Fighting. Interestingly, she only started cutting weight two days before the official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 100. “I eat one pound of food every day for lunch, and another pound for dinner,” she explained. Plus, three açaí bowls daily with coconut water and peanuts. Can’t eat more than that, you know?
“My doctor says my metabolism is like a Ferrari,” she joked. Blood tests at the UFC P.I. showed her thyroid was normal, despite weighing just 118 pounds then — unusual for a strawweight. Staying at 121 pounds is tough! Can I eat like a normal person? [laughs]. During fight week, I eat 0.250 pounds of rice for lunch and dinner while others stop eating it a month before their fights.
Pinheiro shared that Amanda Ribas was her heaviest opponent yet in the UFC; Ribas has even competed at flyweight and once gained 26 pounds between weigh-ins and fight night. Despite this, Pinheiro didn’t find power and strength to be issues against Ribas or others. Moving down to atomweight could accelerate her path to a UFC belt.
“The girls are fast in this division,” Pinheiro noted. Some 115-pound fighters are shorter but not necessarily lighter than her. Tecia Torres is small but can she make 105? Adding a 105-pound division would be fantastic for the UFC. Some strawweights weigh up to 139 pounds — she’s never been that heavy! She’d have to endure some dieting to make 105, something she’s never done before.
Robertson, her opponent Saturday, boasts the record for most submission wins among women in the UFC. Any weight advantage could influence grappling exchanges on the ground. Yet, Pinheiro believes “I can be faster than her for being lighter.”
“Usually, opponents don’t try to take me down; they prefer trading strikes,” Pinheiro said. “Submissions are Robertson’s forte, but you gotta take me down first! I’ve trained takedown defense and escapes thoroughly. It’s a good match-up; she’s been submitted before, and I think I can knock her out — she doesn’t handle getting hit well — or submit her in scrambles by being lighter and quicker.”