Aline Pereira showed potential in her pro-MMA debut loss against Helen Peralta at LFA 147.
Pereira, sister of UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira, competed in her first MMA fight against Peralta, the former Ultimate Fighter Season 30 contestant, on November 18. The Brazilian women’s flyweight had some promising moments, including a knocked down against ‘Iansa,’ but ultimately lost by unanimous decision.
Aline Pereira gives Helen Peralta the double bird 🖕🏼🖕🏼#LFA147 pic.twitter.com/cyaj0RDv29
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) November 19, 2022
The Teixeira MMA fighter came out and was immediately put on the cage by Peralta, where the entirety of the first round was spent with minimal strikes thrown. Pereira started the second by showing off her striking skills and landing some solid combinations. The former GLORY kickboxer continued to use her footwork, stayed on the outside to maintain distance, and landed a beautiful left hook that ‘Poatan’ would be proud of, dropping her opponent.
Aline Pereira 😮💨🤌🏻pic.twitter.com/sEHju0cWTA
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) November 19, 2022
Peralta recovered, and Pereira stood back up after failing to finish the fight by ground and pound. ‘Iansa’ gained more control on the cage but likely didn’t do enough to win the second round, leading to an intense final five minutes.
Pereira again found herself trapped against the cage to start the third round. She managed to escape the control of Peralta and started to do some damage in the striking department. After securing more clinch control time, ‘Iansa’ secured the win with a wild overhand right leading to a knockdown. The undefeated bare-knuckle boxer rode the last minute out with ground control and beat the UFC middleweight champion’s sister.
ALINE PEREIRA GETS DROPPED pic.twitter.com/9NwdEveWYn
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) November 19, 2022
Aline Pereira reacts to MMA debut loss
Aline Pereira had high expectations for her MMA debut. Six days earlier, Alex Pereira, who was in his sister’s corner at LFA 147, defeated Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 to become the middleweight champion. If Pereira wants to follow in her brother’s footsteps, she’s currently on track.
Firstly, Aline competed with GLORY kickboxing before MMA, similar to ‘Poatan.’ Secondly, the UFC middleweight champion also lost his MMA debut. The Brazilian women’s flyweight just needs to win a UFC title in her next seven fights to replicate her brother’s career. Pereira stayed positive despite her loss against Helen Peralta. She posted an Instagram picture on an airplane two days after the loss with the caption:
“God has the best for me”
This is not the last time you will hear about Aline Pereira. The former GLORY kickboxer looked phenomenal striking and surely learned a lot after fifteen minutes with a gritty veteran like Peralta. She is also regularly training with ‘Poatan’ and Glover Teixeira, which should lead to her evolving quicker than other fighters. Don’t be surprised when Pereira ends up in the UFC sooner rather than later.
