In the modern sport of MMA, athletes typically go through a lengthy development process before they reach the world’s top organization – assuming they make it at all, that is. Outside of a few celebrated phenoms, most fighters rack up 10, 20 or more bouts in local or regional promotions, honing their craft on smaller stages for smaller stakes, hoping to attract the attention of an entity such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
That was not the case for Luana Carolina. As the 31-year-old Brazilian prepares to face Lucie Pudilova in a flyweight feature on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 60 in Las Vegas, she reflects on the path that brought her to the UFC Octagon after just six professional bouts.