Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya remains one of the greatest rivalries fans have ever witnessed in the UFC. As most of us are familiar with the tale, ‘Poatan’ chased his kickboxing rival to claim the UFC middleweight crown, only for ‘The Last Stylebender’ to take revenge spectacularly. But after the Brazilian moved to the light heavyweight division, that kind of rivalry has been missing from the promotion. However, at the UFC Rio Fight Night event, glimpses of that epic rivalry started brewing once again. 

Enter ADCC bronze and silver medalist Bia Mesquita who had an emphatic win over Irina Alekseeva at the UFC Rio prelims. From the get-go, the Brazilian used her elite jiu-jitsu skills to dominate her opponent. In round 2, Mesquita took full control, recording 4:53 of control time before submitting ‘Russian Ronda’ with a rear-naked choke. Following her win, fans began drawing parallels between her and Alex Pereira‘s journey, envisioning her future challenge against former opponent Mackenzie Dern, just as Alex Pereira did against Adesanya. 

Bia Mesquita follows Alex Pereira’s path to fight Mackenzie Dern after UFC Rio win  

After Mesquita made quick work of her opponent, a popular social media account immediately drew the comparison, writing on X, “Bia Mesquita feels like the WMMA version of Pereira seeing Izzy succeed and signing with the UFC.”

For the unversed, the 34-year-old previously fought Mackenzie Dern in the 2015 ADCC Championship, securing a victory, and later at the IBJJF Rio Fall Open, where Mesquita submitted her in just 64 seconds. 

This trajectory mirrors Pereira beating Israel Adesanya in kickboxing before doing the same (once) in MMA. Mesquita also competed in LFA before entering the UFC, just like ‘Poatan’ did in Jungle Fight. Taking the coincidence further, both won their UFC debuts in the second round, which is nothing short of remarkable. But despite the parallels, one fact could hinder a potential rivalry.

The ADCC medalist debuted at 135 lbs, two divisions above the strawweight, where Mackenzie Dern is currently scheduled to face Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321. For a matchup to materialize, either Dern would need to move up two weight classes or Mesquita would have to cut down to 115 lbs. While fans would like this scenario to play out, moving up or down two weight classes is not common or encouraged in MMA. Regardless, the path forward looks promising  

Mesquita reveals ‘Lady GOAT’ mentality

Bia Mesquita secured a crucial victory dominantly and also received massive cheers from her home audience. Moreover, the black belt in jiu-jitsu also has a fan-friendly personality, which definitely works in her favor. As the Brazilian embarks on a long journey ahead, she’s ready to replicate her success in the grappling realm in MMA.

At the UFC Rio Octagon interview, Mesquita said, “It couldn’t be better to be here, to get my debut in Brazil. I train in the best gym in the world, American Top Team, and I have the best coach by my side. So, I know it could not be different than that to come here and show what I’m ready for, why I’m the lady GOAT.. mentality. That I came to be one of the best in the division, and I proved that tonight.” 

So, what does she mean by GOAT mentality? While it might sound self-centered, it actually gives a fighter a mental edge, boosting confidence to overcome opponents. Almost every dominant champion, names like Jon Jones, Islam Makhachev, or Alex Pereira, also practice this mentality in their own way. To put her belief into action, the UFC debutant already wants a quick comeback.

She said, “I’m healthy, and I didn’t get hurt. So, I just wanna stay active as much as possible. Get me back here as soon as possible. This is the lady GOAT mentality. I’m here to stay. Let’s set fire [to] this.”

After her performance, the community is eager to see what Bia Mesquita can pull off in her next fights. That said, who do you think should be her next opponent after UFC Rio, where her fellow Brazilian Charles Oliveira also ended up winning the main event? Let us know in the comments below.