Introduction
Thursday, March 6th, Brazilian bantamweight prospect Bia Mesquita will be in action for LFA, where she will be looking continue her winning ways against Hope Chase. She will be looking for another win, as Mesquita looks to inch closer toward a UFC contract. She represents the American Top Team, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
World Class Grappling: Mesquita is a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and an IBJJF Hall of Famer. She is a 10-time world champion, 7-time Pan-Am champion and has won a number of medals for the ADCC. She’s one of the best female grapplers alive. All of this is seen in the cage, where Mesquita has dominated with her grappling. All three of her wins come by way of rear-naked choke, which makes sense as she quickly cuts through her opponent’s defenses to get to a dominant finishing position. I don’t believe there is a single MMA fighter in the UFC in her weight class that can match her on the mat.
Needs Improvement
MMA Experience: Despite her many years of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Mesquita has been a pro MMA fighter since just June of 2024. Her three opponents thus far have a combined record of 2-4, with her best opponent being Fernanda Araujo (who was 2-4). We have a limited sample size of her MMA abilities, especially her striking, which obviously will be her biggest weakness between that and her wrestling/grappling.
Outlook
UFC Top-15: Mesquita’s world-class grappling is really going to carry her, especially in a weight class (bantamweight) that is light on talent. In a way, she may take the route of Mackenzie Dern, a fellow world-champion BJJ artist who has had stints in the top-10 but has consistently been in the top-15. If Mesquita gets another win or two, she could see herself in the UFC. At 33 years old, she’ll need to get there quickly.
MMA Intel 