Beatriz Bia Mesquita introduced herself to the blended martial arts world in emphatic style at UFC Rio on Saturday, October 11, 2025, submitting veteran Irina Alekseeva with a second-round rear-naked choke on the Farmasi Area. The 34-year-old Brazilian confirmed why her transition from grappling icon to cage fighter has generated such pleasure throughout fight sports activities circles.
Who Is Bia Mesquita?
Mesquita brings credentials that few fighters can match to the UFC bantamweight division. She holds the Guinness World Document for many particular person IBJJF World Championship gold medals by a feminine competitor, with an unprecedented 10 titles earned between 2012 and 2021. Her complete Brazilian jiu-jitsu resume contains 24 black belt titles throughout the 4 main gi championships, plus victories in ADCC competitors and membership within the IBJJF Corridor of Fame.
The performance against Alekseeva showcased the dominant grappling skills that made Mesquita a household name in competitive jiu-jitsu. After a measured first minute, Mesquita closed the gap and secured a takedown straight into mount place. She managed the Russian fighter all through the opening spherical, touchdown punishing ground-and-pound strikes that bloodied her opponent and had the referee contemplating a stoppage.
Round two followed a similar pattern. Mesquita executed another clean takedown and quickly advanced to mount before transitioning to back control. The rear-naked choke came at 2:14 of the second round, forcing Alekseeva to tap and giving Mesquita her first UFC victory.
The victory extends Mesquita’s perfect professional MMA record to 6-0, with five finishes across her short but impressive career. She made her professional debut just 16 months ago in June 2024 and captured the LFA women’s bantamweight championship in her fifth professional fight this past June. Her rapid rise through the regional circuit earned her a UFC contract in July 2025.
Training at American Top Team in Florida since September 2023, Mesquita has labored alongside present bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison and different elite fighters to develop her placing and total MMA recreation. The transition from pure grappling to blended martial arts represented a major profession shift for somebody who had dominated Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors for over a decade.
Mesquita’s jiu-jitsu journey began at age five under legendary instructor Leticia Ribeiro in Rio de Janeiro. She quickly established herself as a prodigy, winning Brazilian national junior championships by age 10 and earning her black belt in 2011. Her competitive achievements include a notable 64-second submission victory over current UFC strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern in 2017, which first sparked discussions about her potential move to MMA.
The UFC debut efficiency earned Mesquita a Efficiency of the Night time bonus alongside essential occasion winner Charles Oliveira. Talking after the struggle, she emphasised her readiness to stay energetic and construct momentum within the bantamweight division. Her post-fight interview highlighted her gratitude for debuting in her dwelling nation and her eagerness to proceed climbing the UFC rankings.
For Alekseeva, the loss marked her third consecutive defeat and doubtlessly jeopardized her place on the UFC roster. The 35-year-old veteran, generally known as “Russian Ronda,” struggled to seek out solutions for Mesquita’s grappling strain and floor management all through the competition.
Mesquita’s arrival within the UFC provides one other elite grappler to a bantamweight division already that includes achieved grapplers like Harrison and former champion Juliana Pena. Her mixture of world-class jiu-jitsu expertise, bettering placing, and championship mentality positions her as a possible title contender regardless of starting her MMA profession comparatively late at age 33.
The efficiency at UFC Rio demonstrated that Mesquita’s legendary grappling expertise translate successfully to blended martial arts competitors. Along with her good file intact and a profitable Octagon debut full, she seems poised to make a major affect in one of many UFC’s best divisions.
