Ericka Almeida: 'I have to lose 35 pounds' for UFC Fight Night 67 replacement fight

Ericka Almeida

Tales of fighters cutting a significant amount of weight to make a short-notice UFC debut swirl around the MMA community. Ericka Almeida is currently living one of those tales.

Less than a month ago, Almeida had no idea her next fight would be in the UFC. She was relaxing after an April 11 submission win at Jungle Fight 76 in her native Brazil, waiting to figure out when and where she would fight again with no expectation it would be with the world’s foremost promotion.

But when Jessica Penne was pulled from a scheduled bout with Juliana Lima at UFC Fight Night 76 and granted a title shot, an opportunity arrived for Almeida. She was pegged as Penne’s replacement on less than one month’s notice.

The immediate issue presented to Almeida (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) after accepting the fight wasn’t how she would defeat Lima (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a fighter who has shared the octagon with UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, but rather how she would make weight.

Almeida said she had to lose 35 pounds between the day she got the call to fight Lima and today’s UFC Fight Night 67 weigh-ins, where she must tip the scale at no more than 116 pounds.

“I have to lose 35 pounds in total,” Almeida recently told MMAjunkie. “I didn’t expect to be called into the UFC so soon after my last fight; I only had one month to get ready for Juliana. Our greatest adversary now is the scale.”

Almeida is scheduled to fight Lima on the UFC Fight Pass portion of UFC Fight Night 67’s preliminary card at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Goias, Brazil. Prelims also air on FOX Sports 1 prior to the main card on the same channel.

If Almeida is being honest about her weight, that means she started her cut around 150 pounds. To make the women’s strawweight limit she would be required to lose 24 percent of her total body weight in just a few weeks.

A UFC debut should be a joyous occasion for fighters. Almeida said she hasn’t been able to focus on the monumental moment because she’s been occupied with what can only be considered a dangerous, unhealthy and dramatic weight loss regiment.

“It really hasn’t dawned on me that I’m in the UFC, since I’ve been so busy with my weight loss,” Almeida said. “We’ve been running around to take care of paperwork and medicals.”

Almeida doesn’t appear to be flustered by the potential risks of her actions. She said she’s endured worse hurdles in her career and this is just another one to clear in order to reach her ultimate goals.

“There was the time when I debuted in Jungle Fight to contend for their strawweight belt, with only three weeks’ notice; I was getting over an injury but received clearance from my doctor,” Almeida said. “My opponent took me down during the start of the first round and I broke one of my ribs. I had to endure that until I was able to submit her during the second round. I managed to get a rear-naked choke with a broken rib. It was trial by fire.”

Even if her mind is completely occupied by shedding pounds, Almeida said there’s an upside in the fact she had knowledge of Lima before the fight was booked. That means Almeida is aware of exactly what she agreed to when asked to debut with the UFC on short notice.

I’m familiar with Juliana; I’ve been following her career for a while,” Almeida said. “She’s one of the toughest in the weight class. She’s only lost in the UFC by decision to the eventual champion.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 67, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.