LAS VEGAS – Stephanie Luciano wasn’t sure where her future was headed after her showing at Dana White Contender Series 63.
The Brazilian strawweight didn’t beat her opponent Talita Alencar, but she also didn’t lose to her. The two fought to a draw in one of the more exciting fights of the night. This made Luciano (5-1-1) feel unsure of whether she was going to get a contract with the UFC. Fortunately for her, she was offered a contract, while White passed on Alencar (4-0-1).
“It’s surprising, right,” Luciano said through an interpreter at the DWCS 63 post-fight press conference. “I didn’t know what was going to happen there. I mean, Talita Alencar is a great athlete, and she came to impose her game, and then it was my turn to show her what I’m about, and I think that’s what made a difference.
“You don’t come out with a win, but you conquer the hearts of people, and that’s why I think I was able to get what I got.”
Luciano lost the first two rounds of the fight after getting taken down and controlled by the jiu-jitsu standout. However, in the third, Luciano put on a beating on a tired Alencar, enough to make it a 10-8 round.
“It was part of the strategy, actually,” Luciano said. “Listening closely to my corner, we knew that she could get tired of this, and they said this plenty of times. It’s not jiu-jitsu, it’s MMA. When I saw my opportunity, I was able to put my game, and you could see she was getting tired. I went for it. I really feel I could’ve knocked her out, but it didn’t happen. So now, that’s an opportunity to get better, so let’s go.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 63.
