One Step at a Time for Denise Gomes

Denise Gomes has already marked off a few boxes on what amounts to an imaginary checklist. Within the span of eight months, she punched her ticket to the Ultimate Fighting Championship via Dana White’s Contender Series, suffered her first defeat as a pro and rebounded to record her first win inside the Octagon. Now, the 23-year-old Brazilian must prove she has staying power.

The Parana Vale Tudo prospect will confront the undefeated Yazmin Jauregui in an intriguing women’s strawweight pairing as part of the UFC 290 undercard on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Gomes can already point to signs of her evolution as a mixed martial artist.

“I can see how much I’ve matured as an athlete and as a woman,” she told Sherdog.com. “It all influences the fighter I’m becoming. In my career up to now, I’m coming to realize that I’m a great fighter. Of course, I try to stay humble, but as I mature, I tell myself that I have what it takes to be among the best. I have far to go and I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I know my worth and how far I think I can go. This is the beginning of my history in the UFC, and every day, I’m taking steps in the right direction.”

One of those steps involved her second-round technical knockout of Bruna Brasil at UFC on ESPN 44 in April. It allowed Gomes to move past a decision loss to Konklak Suphisara in her promotional debut and showed she belonged at the highest level. Brasil succumbed to blows 2:42 into Round 2, suffering her first defeat in more than five years.

“She had a history of knockout wins, but it didn’t stress me out,” Gomes said. “She hadn’t faced opponents as tough as mine. I didn’t feel fear. I saw that I was ready to face her and that I could score my own knockout. That’s what happened. I felt great during our fight. I was ready, mentally and physically. Even though she had been on a long winning streak, I was very aware of my ability to beat her.”

Jauregui looks like a different animal. The burgeoning Entram Gym star improved to a perfect 10-0 at UFC on ESPN 42, where she scored a second-round stoppage against Istela Nunes on Dec. 3. Jauregui has secured seven of her 10 victories by knockout or technical knockout.

“She’s a good, tough fighter,” Gomes said. “It will be a great test for me. I know I won’t be afraid. I’ll move forward and look to impose my game. I’ll be more comfortable. I know that to get to where I’m going, I’ll have to take it one step at a time, and she’s one of those steps. It will be a tough fight for both of us since I won’t make it easy for her. I don’t foresee a submission win, although it’s possible. A knockout is much more likely. We’re both strikers. We’re going to exchange.”

Gomes sees it as another in a long line of opportunities to build a following and bolster her resume. Time remains on her side.

“I know that I haven’t yet stood out from the crowd in the UFC, but I’m patient,” she said. “I know my time will come. I focus on where I am, instead of looking too far into the past or into the future. I’ll be a big name in the UFC. I’ll show who I am.”