Legendary jiu-jitsu champion Bia Mesquita looked to impress the UFC brass by scoring her fourth pro MMA win during UFC 313 fight week in Las Vegas, but it didn’t end the way she hoped for.
Mesquita was victorious at LFA 203, an event that took place Thursday night at Palms Casino Resort, but it was due to disqualification after opponent Hope Chase landed an illegal upkick in the second round of their bantamweight bout.
Watch the sequence below.
Following the win, Mesquita told MMA Fighting’s José Youngs in a media scrum that she feels Chase did it on purpose.
“I always look for the tap, but unfortunately I feel like that was her way to get out of there without tapping, but kind of tapping,” Mesquita said. “I won the first round really good. Second round I was ready to go for the submission again and unfortunately that happened. The rules meeting was extremely clear about that and she knows exactly what she was doing. It’s another victory, you know? Of course not the way I want. I always look for that tap, but it is what it is.”
Mesquita is now 4-0 since transitioning to mixed martial arts in 2024, with her first three victories coming via submission all by way of rear-naked choke. She felt close to securing the submission again in the second round before the illegal strike.
Regardless, her goal remains the same, to ink a deal with the UFC right away — or compete for the LFA belt next.
“I feel like that was a really good opportunity,” Mesquita said of performing in front of the UFC matchmakers. “And that’s why I feel a little bit frustrated because I want the submission because I know all the eyes were on me, but I don’t think this changes anything. They saw how ready I was and how I fight forward to finish the fight. I think that didn’t change, but I don’t know. If they call me, I’m ready. If not, I’m ready for the belt. I’m looking to fight for the bantamweight title. Nothing changed. I proved that I’m ready for what is next.”
