Talita Alencar fought Stephanie Luciano at Dana White’s Contender Series 63 on September 19th, 2023 and although she earned a majority draw against her, she didn’t receive a UFC contract for her efforts. Alencar is a phenomenal grappler who has taken home gold medals at the very highest level of the sport, winning an IBJJF World Championship and three IBJJF no gi World Championship gold medals. She actually didn’t even turn her attention to professional MMA until 2021, when she was already 30 years old.
Alencar made her professional debut at Titan FC 70 and the high level of grappling skill that she possesses immediately became apparent, as she won the fight by submission in the very first round. She quickly rattled off another two submission wins while fighting for Titan FC, before continuing her journey around the regional MMA circuit with a decision win in the LFA cage. That earned Talita Alencar an opportunity to compete for a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 63, and she put in a solid performance on the night too.
In fact, Alencar was actually winning the fight right up until the final round. She won both of the first two rounds pretty cleanly but Luciano came out with a vengeance in the third round and managed to put on such an impressive performance that she won it 10-8, leveling the score between them and bringing the fight to a draw. It was a rare result at Dana White’s Contender Series, and in MMA as a whole, as the majority of fights tend to end with a winner being declared. Generally only winners will be offered a UFC contract on the show but an exception was made here, although sadly not for Alencar. Luciano was one of four fighters who received a UFC contract on the night, thanks to her valiant effort to come back from the brink of defeat.
