Luana Pinheiro’s Growing Pains

Luana Pinheiro finds herself in an unfamiliar position within the deep and sometimes unforgiving Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division.

The 31-year-old Brazilian will attempt to rebound from her first loss in six-plus years when she faces former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Angela Hill in a featured UFC Fight Night 241 attraction on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Matchmakers have afforded Pinheiro precious little wiggle room inside the Top 10 at 115 pounds. She has not competed since Amanda Ribas felled her with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches at UFC Fight Night 232 in November, the setback marking the end of her career-best nine-fight winning streak.

“I made some errors that cost me, and they resulted in my loss,” Pinheiro told Sherdog.com. “I’ve watched that fight a few times, and those errors have been corrected. I feel that we never truly lose. We learn. Losses make us put greater focus on our evolution. Of course, I’ll have that loss on my record, but that’s part of the sport. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but the focus remains the same. I’m always improving from day to day and adding new weapons to my game. I’m always looking to be better and more complete.”

A graduate of Season 20 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, Hill has been a staple of the UFC roster for the better part of a decade. The Alliance MMA rep has rattled off three wins in four appearances, having turned away Denise Gomes by unanimous decision in her most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 231 on Nov. 4. Hill—the women’s strawweight division’s all-time leader in appearances (23), total fight time (5:33:33) and significant strikes landed (1,811)—turned 39 in January.

“Angela is very experienced,” Pinheiro said. “She was already fighting MMA when I was only a judoka. She’s had great opponents. I think she’s fought almost everyone who’s ranked. She’s experienced and smart. It’s difficult for an opponent to get a finish against her. She fights three good rounds. It’s going to be a great fight. She always brings it. I believe she’s in the best phase of her career. I’ve seen improvements in her grappling. We’ll have a great fight on the feet and on the ground. I’m focused on getting my hand raised at the end of the fight, whether it’s by knockout, submission or decision.”

Pinheiro spent the first part of her training camp at Nova Uniao in her native Brazil before heading to Las Vegas, where she filled in the blanks at Xtreme Couture and the UFC Performance Institute. Acclimation was a vital part of the process.

“Vegas is very dry,” she said, “so I feel it’s important to arrive early to get used to it.”

Pinheiro joined the UFC roster via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, then proceeded to defeat Randa Markos, Sam Hughes and Michelle Waterson-Gomez in succession. She would like nothing more than to reclaim the momentum she surrendered in her loss to Ribas.

“I’m excited,” Pinheiro said. “I’m looking forward to giving my best in this next bout. I wish to do everything I’ve been doing in training in the fight. I want to show my evolution.”