Eduarda Moura returns to the flyweight division to face Veronica Hardy at UFC 309 on Saturday in New York, but that doesn’t mean she’s done fighting at 115 pounds.
Mora has failed to make the cut twice in the UFC, with appearances in those two bouts resulting in a second-round finish over Montserrat Cunejo and a split decision defeat to Dennis Gomez last June. The drop to 115 pounds for the Gomez fight was particularly shocking, and Mora said her team is looking into what went wrong in order to fix it. For now, staying at flyweight means a smoother cut on Friday morning than the 17-pound cut I endured recently.
“My body rejected it and I felt a lot of cramps and basically didn’t sleep during fight week,” Mora said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “I’m shocked, but I’ll go back to 115, but not now [laughs]. I think we can change some things and study more. The truth is, I just want to fight. I think I will have more fights at 125 and I need to work.
The 30-year-old Brazilian said her trainers had to spend awake nights doing massages while she dealt with cramps before her previous weigh-in, and she even vomited moments after stepping on the scale.
“I left to throw up before the confrontation and Dennis got a bucket to help me,” Mora said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before, to feel this way. This weight cut affected me so much, and it’s definitely given her more confidence.” [to see me like that]. I kept remembering that scene, when she brought me a bucket. That was the first time I felt like crying before a fight. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t gain weight. I was so nervous, I kept trying to disguise myself. I used to sing when I went out and played great, and I never did that. I was completely lost. I felt like there was something wrong in my heart.
“Once I shot the takedown and got the guillotine, bro… I still wasn’t back to normal, and I felt a heartbeat after that guillotine. I was fighting my mind and my body to keep going. I didn’t feel like getting up and rolling with it. I was so desperate to take her down So much so that I felt frustrated. I had no energy, I was sluggish and I was not ready for a real war. I probably underestimated Denise a little after seeing some of her fights and thought I would be ready to take her on, and that frustrated me also.
Looking on the bright side, Moura said suffering her first defeat as a professional lifted a burden off her shoulders, describing it as a “life-changing experience.” Hardy enters the cage at UFC 309 on a three-fight winning streak, her best since joining the promotion in 2016, and Mora expects “a good test for me in this division” as she plans to jump between weight classes in the future for more opportunities.
“I want to become champion and I think I have a big advantage at strawweight,” Moura said. “I’m tall and have good reach, and strength too, but I’m still in shock [laughs]. We will think about it. It depends on the opportunity. [Hardy] He’s a very technical player with his feet and a good kicker, and I’ll cut corners there. Maybe I’ll put some doubts in her head [laughs]. I’m ready for whatever you bring. This time I won’t go there and think that I have to kill her at all costs.
