BY RYAN BEVINS, ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER) @BEVOIS
Nobel Prize laureate André Gide famously wrote, “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” These words widely encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone when in pursuit of personal growth and discovery.
LFA star Yasmin Guimarães has taken these words quite literally when applying them to the growth and journey she has experienced thus far in her young and promising MMA career. After enjoying early success in Muay Thai and amateur MMA in her home state of Rio de Janeiro on the southeast coast of Brazil, the young Brazilian literally crossed oceans to compete in Europe and the Middle East. It was there that her natural ability manifested into something bigger than everyone around her expected and she became an international sensation. The 28-year-old is now set to fight for an LFA championship in her home country just four years after transitioning to MMA from Muay Thai and just two and a half years after turning pro.
“My aunt started practicing Muay Thai for quality of life and insisted that I try, because she already saw that I had the skills for the sport,” Guimarães told LFA.com. “After the pandemic in 2020, I was already doing Muay Thai and I was always curious about moving to MMA. At the end of 2020, the opportunity arose to train with the team I’m with today, and from there I found my path. The international fighting experiences I now have, makes me a more mature athlete, and increasingly tough for this division.”
Watch LFA 197: Kuziutina vs. Guimarães
Yasmin Guimarães trains at RFT and MSP alongside many MMA stars including
LFA champion Jefferson “Toddynho” Nascimento and undefeated blue-chip prospect Aieza Bertolso.
Guimarães continues to train in her home state of Rio de Janeiro at MSP, which is known for its acclaimed women’s MMA team, as well as RFT (Renovação Fight Team). Inside these academies, she has assembled an elite coaching staff that consists of a half dozen experts in their respective fields. Those coaches include Rafael Vinicius (Striking), Bruno Grigolli (Jiu-Jitsu), Márcio Cromado (Luta Livre), Leonardo Chocolate (Wrestling), Daniel Martins (Strength & Conditioning), and Guga Ungerer (Luta Livre). However, it’s her world-class teammates and training partners that she lends equal credit.
“I learn from all of them every day. I know I’m on the right team. They only train champions,” stated Guimarães. “Some of the people I train with a lot are Brena Cardozo, Elaine Lopes, Raiane Vinuto and Wana Muniz, who are excellent strikers. Aieza Bertolso, Waleska Sousa, and Andressa “Gauchinha” Romero are excellent and add a lot to my grappling game. The guys from RFT help us a lot too, including Jefferson “Toddynho” Nascimento, who is a current LFA champion.”
As she mentioned, “Toddynho” is the current LFA interim lightweight champion. He holds a perfect 11-0 record with 4 of those wins coming inside the LFA Octagon. Next there is Bertolso, who will be fighting alongside Guimarães at LFA 197. Bertolso is a dynamic grappler that has won all 4 of her professional fights inside the LFA Octagon after compiling a staggering 17-1 record in amateur MMA. The team also has Lopes, who is a former LFA title challenger in Guimarães’ weight class, along with Cardozo and Sousa who are also LFA veterans. This team has helped expedite the learning process for Guimarães once she made the switch from Muay Thai to MMA.
Yasmin Guimarães is an elite Muay Thai fighter that has found similar success in MMA.
Guimarães is not only one of the biggest MMA prospects in Brazil, but she is a a black pra jiad in Muay Thai and owns one of the most well-rounded trophy cases in combat sports. Her fight résumé reads as follows: Pentagon MMA Combat Champion, Brazilian Muay Thai Champion (CBMB), Steel Lady Muay Thai Champion, Rio Muay Thai Stadium Champion, Open Muay Thai Champion, CBJJD Blue Belt Champion, and FJJRIO NO-GI Champion. More specifically, in terms of international experience, the former WBC Muay Thai super-bantamweight title challenger has fine-tuned her world-class pedigree by competing around the world in Poland, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and her home country of Brazil.
Moreover, Guimarães has been competing in multiple disciplines at strawweight, flyweight and bantamweight. This has made her comfortable fighting opponents of any size, speed, or style. This all became evident when the proud Carioca returned home to Rio de Janeiro this past May, where she made a triumphant debut in the strawweight division in the main event of LFA 183. This fight happened to kick off the biggest Fight Week of the Year in Brazil as LFA 183 took place on the Eve of UFC 301 with both events taking place just 6 miles apart in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro. The highly-anticpated LFA debut of Guimarães was as good as advertised at LFA 183, where she became the first person to defeat Naizi Cantanhede. The dominant win came via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). The win earned Guimarães an LFA title shot and gave her valuable experience.
“Naizi (Jiu-Jitsu) and Natasha (Judo) have different fighting styles, but the study was the same,” Guimarães explained. “We studied her a lot and I’m ready to face her. I start as a striker and get a feel for the fight. I am always adapting to the round. If necessary, I become a grappler and in the end I practice complete MMA during the fight.”
Yasmin Guimarães earned an LFA title shot by defeating Naizi Cantanhede in the Main Event of LFA 183.
Guimarães is aware that being given an LFA title shot is a career changing moment. The young Brazilian knows that getting her hand raised in her next bout will signal her membership to an elite pantheon of LFA royalty. The LFA women’s strawweight division is the LFA’s most successful women’s division and many consider it to be one of the promotion’s golden divisions for fighters looking to have success in the UFC. This is because there are a dozen LFA alumni currently competing in the UFC women’s strawweight division. That illustrious group includes Loopy Godinez, Jaqueline Amorim, Mackenzie Dern, Tabatha Ricci, Piera Rodriguez, Vanessa Demopoulos, Sam Hughes, Bruna Brasil, Marnic Mann, Julia Polastri, Stephanie Luciano, and Talita Alencar. Impressively, this group includes the first five LFA women’s strawweight champions in Demopoulos, Godinez, Rodriguez, Amorim, and Polastri.
The weight and prestige of the title Guimarães is fighting for is not lost on the top contender as she reflects on the elite group that make up the esteemed LFA sorority of fighters that currently compete in the UFC.
“The key fight in my career so far is this LFA world title fight, which I have the opportunity to compete in,” Guimarães exclaimed. “It means everything I have been working tirelessly to achieve. A dream come true!”
Watch the LFA 197 preliminary card on LFA Fight Network
Yasmin Guimarães faces interim champion Natasha Kuziutina for the title in the Main Event of LFA 197.
The world will be watching when Guimarães challenges Natasha Kuziutina for the LFA interim women’s strawweight title in the main event of LFA 197. However, one person in particular will be watching with heightened interest as she knows the winner could be facing her early next year in a title unification bout. That would be none other than LFA women’s strawweight champion Rose Conceição, who defeated Guimarães’ teammate Lopes for the title in 2023. Conceição was then scheduled to defend her title against Kuziutina earlier this year, but was invited to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Now with the conclusion of the UFC boss’ most recent season of his popular television series, Conceição is back in Natal in the northeast of Brazil, but will be carefully watching all of the action unfold at LFA 197. In the lead up to the bout between Kuziutina and Guimarães, which will determine who will challenge for a shot at the lineal and unified title, Conceição shared her thoughts on the fight.
“Natasha’s fight with Guimarães will be a great fight,” stated Conceição. “I want to face Natasha. She’s been trying to get to my belt, but I hope she knows that until she fights me, she’s not the true champion. Well, as far as I’m concerned, she won’t be. This title is Brazilian and Nordestina (Northeast Brazilian).
Yasmin Guimarães celebrates with Marcio Cromado, Bruno Grigolli and Rafael Vinicius at LFA 183.
The stakes of Guimarães’ next bout have never been higher and she has the full attention of Conceição, but her focus is entirely on Kuziutina. Just like Guimarães, Kuziutina is a woman that has also built her world-class skill set by competing around the globe. However, her expertise is on the grappling side of things and it would be hard for anyone to find a more accomplished grappler competing at 115-pounds in MMA.
Kuziutina represented Russia at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 (took place in 2021) Summer Olympics. It was at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, where she earned an Olympic bronze medal. She now heads back to Brazil for her second LFA title defense, which will make her the first woman to headline LFA events on two continents. Guimarães is fully aware of the skills and experience Kuziutina brings to the table, but just sees her as another puzzle that she is ready to solve.
“I respect her entire trajectory so far, but for me, she is just another opponent for me to beat,” Guimarães explained. “Inside the Octagon, nothing she was will matter to me.”
As for the prospects of facing Conceição for the unified LFA women’s strawweight title after Friday night, Guimarães was just as game. “Yes, of course I want to fight Conceição. I like challenges and I want to become the best… and to do that, I have to beat everyone who is at the top of my category.”
You can watch Yasmin Guimarães face Natasha “Kuzya” Kuziutina in the Main Event of LFA 197. The event takes place this Friday, November 22nd and it will be available worldwide on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
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About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC in 2017. It has launched the careers of over 330 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the world including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Based in Las Vegas, NV, LFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. The promotion owns and operates LFA FIGHT NETWORK™, a premium YouTube channel that features live combat sports events alongside live LFA Prelims and historical fights.
Please visit LFA.com for updates and information. Visit the official LFA YouTube channel (LFA FIGHT NETWORK™) at @LFAfights. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and X (formerly Twitter) at @LFAfighting.
About UFC FIGHT PASS®:
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit UFCFightPass.com.
About GINÁSIO DO POLVILHO:
The Municipality of Cajamar, through the Department of Public Works and Services, coordinated the complete renovation of the entire structure of the Polvilho Gym. Maintenance and repairs were carried out in the entire infrastructure of the gym with new coverage, increase in the dimensions of the court, painting, accessibility to bathrooms, access ramp, installation of a new electronic scoreboard, new hydraulic basketball tables, renovation and installation of LED lighting in the entire indoor and outdoor area of the gym. The restructuring of the space will provide significant improvements for the court to host the numerous competitions held throughout the year and also for the sports projects in various modalities that the City Hall offers free of charge to the population. For more info visit the Cajamar official website.
