Women's Strawweight
Luana Pinheiro
João Pessoa, Brazil
Pro record
11-5-0
Model Elo
1486
#1154 of 1994
- Age
- 32
- Height
- 5'3"
- Reach
- 62.5"
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Team
- —
- Born
- João Pessoa, Brazil
- UFC debut
- Mar 27, 2021
Profile
Overview
Three straight UFC wins to open her run, then four straight losses. Luana Pinheiro, a Women's Strawweight from João Pessoa, Brazil, is 3-4 in the UFC and carries that losing streak into her next fight. Her 11-5-0 professional record includes fights outside the UFC.
None of her UFC fights ended in a finish for her. The three wins came by disqualification, unanimous decision and split decision.
UFC Career
Pinheiro appeared on Dana White's Contender Series 4.9 in November 2020, a professional fight that sits outside her UFC record. She beat Stephanie Frausto by KO/TKO in round 1 at 2:48.
Her UFC debut came in 2021 against Randa Markos, and it ended in round 1 at 4:16 by disqualification. Seven months later she took a unanimous decision over Sam Hughes. After a gap of more than a year, she beat Michelle Waterson-Gomez by split decision at UFC 287 in April 2023. That made three in a row.
Then the run turned. Amanda Ribas stopped her by KO/TKO in round 3 at 3:53. Angela Hill submitted her in round 2 at 4:12. Gillian Robertson, an opponent our model rates as strong, beat her by unanimous decision, and Tecia Pennington did the same in May 2025.
Four losses, two of them by stoppage, two by decision.
Fighting Style
Pinheiro is a grappling-first fighter who gets most of her work done in the takedown game. She lands takedowns well and is hard to take down herself. Her striking is average in volume, and she is harder to hit than most even though she isn't an accurate striker.
She rarely goes looking for submissions. Her takedowns haven't led to finishes, and she has none in the UFC. Her three wins are two decisions and one other result.
On the other side of the ledger, she has lost once by knockout and once by submission, along with two decisions.
Notable Wins
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez — split decision, round 3, UFC 287 (2023)
- Sam Hughes — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate (2021)
- Randa Markos — disqualification, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. Prochazka (2021)
Quick Facts
- Division: Women's Strawweight
- UFC record: 3-4
- Professional record (all promotions): 11-5-0
- UFC debut: 2021
- Stance: Orthodox
- Height / reach: 5'3" / 62.5"
- Born: João Pessoa, Brazil
Written from MMA ProTips fight data, updated Nov 10, 2026.
UFC by the numbers
- UFC record
- 3–4
- since 2021
- Finish rate
- 0%
- 0 of 3 wins
- 1st-round finishes
- 0
- Elite wins
- 0
- vs opponents rated 1700+ at the time
- Longest win streak
- 3
- Current streak
- L4
- losses in a row
- Octagon time
- 1h 27m
- avg 12:29 per fight
- Opposition
- 1535
- avg opponent Elo (1500 = average)
Best wins
Ranked by the opponent's Elo rating going into the fight.
- 1522opp. Elo
split decision, R3 · UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 · Apr 7, 2023
- 1437opp. Elo
disqualification, R1 · UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. Prochazka · Apr 30, 2021
- 1422opp. Elo
unanimous decision, R3 · UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate · Nov 19, 2021
Career stats (UFC)
Career UFC averages. The white tick on each bar marks the UFC average.
Striking
UFC avg 3.35 · about average
UFC avg 3.95 · about average
UFC avg 45% · below average
UFC avg 52% · better than average
UFC avg 0.43 · below average
Grappling
UFC avg 1.52 · better than average
UFC avg 15% · better than average
UFC avg 52% · better than average
UFC avg 0.58 · below average
Where the strikes land
Where the strikes are thrown
Average fight time: 11:16
Fight history (8)
| Res | Opponent | Method | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| L |  Tecia PenningtonRecord after: 4-4 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night: Burns vs MoralesMay 17, 2025 |
| L |  Gillian RobertsonRecord after: 4-3 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs PratesNov 9, 2024 |
| L |  Angela HillRecord after: 4-2 | submissionRound 2 · 4:12 | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs MurphyMay 18, 2024 |
| L |  Amanda RibasRecord after: 4-1 | KO/TKORound 3 · 3:53 | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. CraigNov 17, 2023 |
| W |  Michelle Waterson-GomezRecord after: 4-0 | split decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2Apr 7, 2023 |
| W |  Sam HughesRecord after: 3-0 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. TateNov 19, 2021 |
| W |  Randa MarkosRecord after: 2-0 | disqualificationRound 1 · 4:16 | UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. ProchazkaApr 30, 2021 |
| W |  Stephanie FraustoRecord after: 1-0 | KO/TKORound 1 · 2:48 | Dana White's Contender Series 4.9Nov 10, 2020 |