After Brave 11 debut, judo phenom Luana Pinheiro wants to fight in the Middle East
Strawweight Luana Pinheiro will make her Brave Combat Federation debut on the promotion’s latest trip to her native Brazil, set for April 13. Hailing from Belo Horizonte, Pinheiro has forged a strong career in judo before switching over to MMA, and she’s coming off a submission win. She will face fellow Brazilian Elaine “Pantera” Leal at Brave 11 and is grateful to become a part of history.
Luana and Elaine will face each other in the second-ever women’s bout inside the Brave cage, but Pinheiro had the honor of becoming the first female Brazilian to sign for the biggest promotion in the Middle East and is already looking forward to fighting away from home for the first time.
“I normally don’t care about where I fight because the goal is always the same, which is to win. But I would love to fight in Bahrain or in another country in the Middle East. Being the first Brazilian female fighter for Brave is already groundbreaking but I would love to do more history for the promotion, which is growing and growing in the MMA world”, says Pinheiro, who’s all compliments about “Pantera”.
“I’ve already watched some of her fights. She’s a very strong woman and I know she will be a great challenge for me”.
Brazilian and South-American champion in judo, Pinheiro hopes to emulate her success with the gi inside the Brave cage, but she says she will always be loyal to her first martial art.
“Judo has always been and will always be my essence. Not just as an athlete, but also as a human being. Judo is a life philosophy and I always take the lessons I’ve learned in the mats with me. I changed sports, but my dream remains the same: to dominate and be the best”, claims Luana.
Brave 11 is set for Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais, and will mark the third promotional event in Brazil. Back in March of 2017, Brave 3: Battle in Brazil took place in Curitiba, with the city also hosting Brave 8: The Kingdom of Champions, the first time two Brave champions were crowned in the same night.
