Stephanie Luciano and Ravena Oliveira delivered a high-stakes showcase of Brazilian talent on Saturday night at UFC Vancouver, meeting in a pivotal matchup that felt more like a proving ground than a prelim.
Luciano (6-2-1) entered the bout looking to rebound from a split decision loss to Sam Hughes in March. The DWCS alum had won her UFC debut prior to that, defeating Talita Alencar in a rematch of their Contender Series bout.
Oliveira (7-2-1) had been sidelined since dropping her UFC debut to Tainara Lisboa in 2023. She was scheduled to return at UFC 304 against Shauna Bannon but was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury. Now, she steps back into the octagon eager to make up for lost time.
Round 1 – Luciano opened the fight with forward pressure, attacking from range with kicks while Oliveira retreated toward the fence. Feeling the cage at her back, Oliveira fired off a flurry to create space, but she began reaching on her strikes and overextending without landing cleanly.
Just past the three-minute mark, Oliveira connected with a sharp 1-2, her best moment of the round so far, as Luciano continued working the body with side kicks. Oliveira refused to stay in close, instead throwing quick combinations to score points in front of the judges.
As Oliveira grew more comfortable offensively, Luciano stayed relentless with her pressure, walking her down and forcing more exchanges along the fence. Luciano landed a clean right hook with just over a minute remaining, prompting Oliveira to disengage and reset.
Luciano attempted a flying knee in the closing seconds, and the round ended with her landing a left hook as the horn sounded.
Round 2 – Luciano resumed her forward pressure early in round two, while Oliveira confidently relied on her 1-2 combinations. The pace remained steady until Luciano closed the distance, securing a clinch and pressing Oliveira against the fence.
Oliveira defended well, striking her way out of the position and landing a sharp elbow on the break. Back in the center, she continued to throw combinations, but Luciano’s defense held strong, slipping and blocking the majority of the shots.
At the two-minute mark, Luciano flashed an axe kick and began ramping up her output, becoming increasingly aggressive with her combinations. Oliveira was reduced to single strikes while Luciano mixed her attacks fluidly and in volume.
In the final minute, Oliveira looked to fire back, but Luciano timed her perfectly and hit a powerful blast-double takedown, finishing the round with ground strikes to cap off a strong frame.
Round 3 – Sensing she may have been behind on the scorecards, Oliveira came out more aggressively in the third, lunging forward with a big shot — but Luciano timed it perfectly and secured another takedown. From top position, Luciano stood briefly and unloaded heavy punches before Oliveira scrambled back to her feet.
Luciano immediately closed the distance again, locked up the body, and scored a second takedown. Settling into half guard, she continued to land damaging strikes from the top.
A clean shot visibly hurt Oliveira, allowing Luciano to take her back and lock in a rear-naked choke. Oliveira had no choice but to tap.
Stephanie Luciano returns to the win column with an impressive submission finish on Canadian soil.
Official Result: Stephanie Luciano def. Ravena Oliveira via R3 SUB (RNC), 2:50
