Viviane Pereira says Jamie Moyle has 'great potential' but expects UFC 212 win

Viviane Pereira overcame the difficulty of making her UFC debut on short notice when she defeated former title challenger Valerie Letourneau. Backed by a full training camp in her sophomore appearance, Pereira intends to display everything she has to offer against Jamie Moyle at UFC 212.

Not only did Pereira (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) beat Letourneau by split decision at UFC 206 in December, she did it as a replacement on just 20 days’ notice. Moreover, Pereira said she brought a hand injury into the fight, but that didn’t stop her from achieving victory.

“The sensation of debuting in the UFC is indescribable,” Pereira told MMAjunkie. “It’s out of this world. I don’t have words to explain. On top of that, I was called in with only 20 days to go. I still had a hand injury. But to get to fight one of the best in the world is incredible.”

Pereira’s UFC 212 bout with Moyle (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), which streams on the early UFC Fight Pass prelims prior to televised prelims on FS1 and the pay-per-view main card at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, is a step down from Letourneau in terms of name value, but that doesn’t make it any easier of a fight.

Through a dozen pro fights Pereira has been an impossible riddle for her opponents to solve, and the Brazilian said she expects that trend to continue.

Only two fighters in the UFC strawweight division are undefeated and have more than seven fights on their record. Pereira is one, and dominant 115-pound champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is the other. Jedrzejczyk has competed only against the very best in her weight class and has proven to be arguably the best female fighter in history during her dominant title reign.

Pereira, No. 14 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s strawweight rankings, knows she’s still a long way off from joining the discussion of potential Jedrzejczyk opponents, but at 23, making a title fight one of her goals for the future isn’t an idea that can be quickly dismissed.

“My plan is to first place among the top five,” Pereira said. “Then – who knows – I can one day fight for the belt, whether it’s against Joanna Jedrzejczyk or whoever happens to be champion. To remain undefeated is the goal of any fighter. Even though I have 12 victories in 12 fights, I have to be equally ready to win or lose. It’s highly important to always be ready for that.”

First she must get Moyle, though, and while the American doesn’t have the same type of attractive record, she still believes she’s among the best strawweight fighters on the roster. It’s up to Pereira to prove she’s superior, though, and she said there are plenty of avenues to get that done inside the octagon.

“Jamie prefers wrestling, for sure, but we would never underestimate any opponent,” Pereira said. “If she’s in the UFC, it’s because she obviously has great potential. Regardless, I’ll impose my game.”

For complete coverage of UFC 212, check out the UFC Events section of the site.