Elisandra Ferreira wants to add another piece of gold to her history and display the PFL strawweight belt next to her past trophies and belts.
Ferreira makes her debut under the PFL banner this Saturday at PFL Nigeria, battling undefeated Nigerian talent Juliet Ukah in Lagos, and does so after winning the Invicta FC and Karate Combat titles over the past couple of years. At age 28 and training alongside two-time PFL champion Larissa Pacheco, “Lili” feels ready for the spotlight.
“[Being champion in other
promotions] is very important because they look at me differently,” Ferreira told MMA Fighting. “They say, ‘Wow, the girl is a champion.’ And it’s not just any promotion. Invicta may not be as active right now, but it has a huge name in the market. Karate Combat speaks for itself, it arrived not long ago but has made a lot of noise. Being a champion in both of those organizations makes me very happy.”
Ferreira started her MMA career in Brazil in 2019 and two years later won her first belt, the Nação Cyborg atomweight title. She flew to Canada months later to compete for the Pallas Athena Women’s Fighting Championship, but ended up losing a decision despite suffering multiple uncalled fouls. An attempt to overturn the result was denied, but Ferreira still felt like she has grown from that experience.
The Brazilian prospect joined Invicta FC after that and won three in a row before winning and defending the atomweight belt, moving up to 115 pounds to add another championship to her career under Karate Combat rules.
“Every promotion I enter I’m looking to become champion,” Ferreira said. “I want to walk away with a story. We’re athletes and our time is limited so we have to enter every promotion aiming to be the champion, to be the best. I’m not taking anything away from anyone else, but you have to be better than you were before. That challenge is what drives me. I always enter to become champion. I’m entering the PFL now, and I want the belt.”
Ukah is 9-0 as a professional. Most of her wins have come via decision, much like Ferreira. The Brazilian, however, said she’s getting sharper on the feet after working with knockout artist Pacheco — and competing in Karate Combat.
“That only helped evolve my game because it made me want to become even more of a striker,” Ferreira said with a laugh. “I enjoy striking. Now I’m training with Marcelo Bispo and Larissa Pacheco, and they both come from that striking side as well — Larissa used to be more of a grappler, but after she started knocking people out she really developed a taste for striking. So it has only helped my MMA game evolve.”
PFL has yet to announce plans for the inaugural strawweight title, and “Lili” feels that her past accomplishments give her a good head start.
“I’m going to fight an undefeated girl who already has three fights in the PFL,” Ferreira said. “If I beat her and put on a show and they want to give me a title shot next, I’m ready. But if I need one more fight, or two more fights, I don’t mind either. I came here to become champion and chase the title. No matter how long it takes, I’ll show them in every fight that I’m ready for the belt.”
