Prospect in the Spotlight (Apr 4-5): Elisandra Ferreira

Introduction

Friday, April 4th, Brazilian atomweight prospect Elisandra Ferreira will be in action for Invicta FC, where she will be looking continue her winning ways against Ana Palacios. She will be looking for another win, as Ferreira looks to defend her Invicta Atomweight Championship. She represents the Mesquita Bros, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Well-Rounded: Ferreira is a solid striker and grappler, holding a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. That well-roundedness makes her approach to the cage easier to plan for herself, as she can use either one of those skills to exploit her opponent’s weaknesses. She’s not super powerful on the feet, but she is technical and has strong fundamentals. She can use those strikes to set up takedowns and work her superior ground game as well. She is disciplined on the mat and good positionally, not making many mistakes and controlling her opponent well. That is truly the strongest part of her game.

Needs Improvement

Lack of Finishes: A big knock on Ferreira has been her lack of finishing ability, which will limit her looks as she tries to step up levels in MMA. She has just one finish in eight wins as a mixed martial artist, which came in her pro debut in 2019. While her recent resume has some strong names on it, giving her record legitimacy, that lack of finishing is a problem from a fan’s perspective and from the perspective that close fights will be out of her hands and into the judge’s.

Outlook

Regional MMA Champion/Midcard Strawweight: At just 5’1″, Ferreira is an obvious atomweight and would be greatly undersized at strawweight. She would have to move to strawweight, though, if she wanted to make the UFC, which is likely her goal. She could have some success, but in the same way Rayanne dos Santos, the former Invicta Champion, struggled in the UFC moving up to 115, I am sure Ferreira would have issues as well. She would have a definite ceiling, she would give up size to basically everyone. As an atomweight, she’s a top dog right now and would remain that way, though the glory and treasure will be more limited than pursuing at 115 in the UFC.