Luana Pinheiro finds herself in an unfamiliar position within the deep and sometimes unforgiving Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division.
The 31-year-old Brazilian will attempt to rebound from her first loss in six-plus years when she faces former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Angela Hill in a featured UFC Fight Night 241 attraction on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Matchmakers have afforded Pinheiro precious little wiggle room inside the Top 10 at 115 pounds. She has not competed since Amanda Ribas felled her with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches at UFC Fight Night 232 in November, the setback marking the end of her career-best nine-fight winning streak.