Luana Munize Barbosa Pinheiro (born November 18, 1993) is a Brazilian professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the strawweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. As of May 2, 2023, she is #13 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings.

Background

Pinheiro was born into a family of judokas and started the sport at the age of two in her hometown of João Pessoa. After an accomplished junior career in judo she moved to

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

in 2011 in pursuit of a spot in the Brazilian Olympic judo team. Ultimately her olympic dreams didn't materialize and she opted to start training mixed martial arts in late 2015.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Pinheiro racked a 7–1 record, competing in Brazilian regional circuit and

Brave Combat Federation BRAVE Combat Federation is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in the Middle East. The organization was established on 23 September 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. BRAVE Combat Federation features mixed martial artists from mor ...

before being invited to

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been move ...

Dana White's Contender Series

Pinheiro faced Stephanie Frausto at Dana White's Contender Series 35 on November 10, 2020. She won the fight via first-round technical knockout and was awarded a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Pinheiro was scheduled to make her promotional debut against

Randa Markos Randa Cemil Markos-Thomas (born August 10, 1985) is an Iraqi-born Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Personal life Markos was ...

on March 27, 2021 at

UFC 260 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However, Markos was removed from the card on March 18 after testing positive for COVID-19. The bout was rescheduled for May 1, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka. Pinheiro won the bout via disqualification in the first round after Markos accidentally upkicked her in the head, rendering her unable to continue. Pinheiro was scheduled to make her sophomore appearance in the organization against

Jessica Penne Jessica Marie Penne (born January 30, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Penne currently competes in the Women's Strawweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the first Invicta FC Atomweight Cha ...

UFC Fight Night 198 ''UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN+ 56'', ''UFC Vegas 43'' and ''UFC Fight Night 198'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 20, 2021 at the UFC ...

on November 20, 2021. However Penne withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reason and she was replaced by

Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. He was notable for being the last Liberal-Conservative cabinet minister, until he was dismissed from his cabinet post ...

. She won the bout via unanimous decision. Pinheiro was again scheduled to face

on April 30, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 208 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 208'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 66'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 23, 2022, at The O2 Arena in Lon ...

. Their bout is once again cancelled due to Pinheiro pulling out due to an undisclosed injury. Pinhero faced

Michelle Waterson Michelle Eileen Waterson (born January 6, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist and model who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Between 2013 and 2014, she was ranked the ...

on April 8, 2023 at

UFC 287 ''UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 8, 2023, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, United States. Background The event marked the promotion' ...

. She won the close bout via split decision.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

Michelle Waterson-Gomez Michelle Waterson-Gomez (born January 6, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist, actress, stuntwoman, and former model who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Between 2013 a ...

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, DQ (illegal upkick) , UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:16 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Stephanie Frausto , KO (punches) , Dana White's Contender Series 35 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Helen Harper , KO (punches) , Brave CF 29 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Isa Town Isa Town ( ar, مدينة عيسى, ''Madīnat ʿĪsā'') is a middle class town located in Bahrain, in the north central part of the country. Etymology The name ''Isa'' refers to Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, the ruler of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999 ...

, Bahrain , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Yasmeli Araque , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Brave CF 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 ,

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, Colombia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Elaine Leal , Submission (guillotine choke) , Brave CF 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:46 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Jessica Kelly Soares Rodrigues , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Federação Fight 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Charlene Batista de Souza , Submission (armbar) , Federação Fight 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Cris Macfer Ferreira Macedo , Decision (split) , All Fights 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jessica Kelly Soares Rodrigues , Submission (armbar) , BH Sparta 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Thatiane Araújo , Decision (unanimous) , BH Sparta 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinheiro, Luana Living people 1993 births Sportspeople from João Pessoa, Paraíba Brazilian female judoka Brazilian female mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters