Undefeated Brazilian phenom Eduarda Moura debuted at UFC Sao Paulo against Montserrat Ruiz on Saturday.
Unfortunately, Moura missed weight for this match by 3.5 pounds, but that did not deter her from coming in hot and getting her first UFC win. Montserrat had lost two straight fights after her own debut, and that trend continued here as she could not deal with Moura’s grappling. This fight was a big opportunity for a young, talented prospect to make a name for herself in front of a friendly crowd, and Moura made the most of it despite her weight miss.
From the opening minute the size and strength differential was too much for Ruiz. Eduarda Moura took her down, smashed her with ground and pound, and controlled her in a variety of positions as Ruiz tried to scramble and twist out of it. Moura never got that close with any submissions due the the wriggling of her foe, but she did a great deal of damage. Ruiz got to her feet at one point but was right back down soon in a scramble that made the strength differential as clear as day. Eduarda ended the round with a body triangle.
The second round was the same; after landing some good punches, Eduarda Moura took down Montserrat Ruiz easily and mauled her, the elbows were especially effective. Moura took mount near the fence and it was only a few more elbows before the ref had seen enough due to the accumulated damage.
With a great UFC debut, its clear that Eduarda Moura has a bright future. However, that future may have to come at 125-lbs rather than 115 with such a big weight miss for her debut and her visibly massive size.
Official Result: Eduarda Moura def. Montserrat Ruiz by TKO (elbow ground and pound) Round 2, 2:14
