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Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) Bantamweight champion Beatriz Mesquita has signed with UFC and will debut against Irina Alekseeva at UFC Rio on Oct. 11, 2025, inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Brazilian journalist Leo Guimaraes broke the news today, Weds. July 30, 2025.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Mesquita (5-0) is widely considered the greatest women’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) grappler of all time and has dubbed herself the “BJJ GWOAT.”

At 34, she’s older than most prospects, but her pedigree is unmatched: ten Gi IBJJF championships (a Guinness World Record), five IBJJF No-Gi World Championship titles, and an ADCC gold medal.

Since transitioning to mixed martial arts (MMA) full-time, she has racked up five wins, with three submissions, one knockout, and one disqualification victory.

Will her grappling credentials help her dominate the UFC competition, or will she lay an egg like recent signee Marcus Buchecha? Time will tell.

Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC

Alekseeva (5-3) is riding a two-fight losing streak. In her most recent outing, she lost a unanimous decision to Klaudia Sygula after serving a one-year UFC suspension due to a doping violation for elevated testosterone levels consistent with exogenous administration.

“Russian Ronda” is 1-2 inside the Octagon.

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.