Talita Alencar aims to keep her momentum going in her next UFC step against Piera Rodriguez

Talita Alencar believes she is close to executing the plan that has guided her through her recent UFC run, as the 36-year-old strawweight takes on Piera Rodriguez on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Nolan in Las Vegas.

Coming into the matchup, Alencar is approaching it as the second fight of her 2026 schedule, and the UFC release frames her as coming off an earlier win in the year, a unanimous-decision victory over Julia Polastri.

While the result mattered, Alencar told UFC she sees the real work happening in the time between camps, describing that period as when she “grind[s] to evolve” her style so opponents are hit with something different when she returns.

A central theme in her approach is confidence built around her striking development. Alencar said she found a striking identity that makes her comfortable in the middle and close-range, and she expects opponents to be reluctant about exchanging there.

The UFC release also ties her evolving game to her size and grappling background. Alencar, a BJJ black belt, acknowledged that her path to victory has often come via submission, but she is specifically looking to show more of her power and improvements against Rodriguez despite standing at 5-foot-1.

Alencar enters with a finish-focused mindset, saying she plans to defend Rodriguez’s offense, frustrate her, and ultimately go for a submission, noting that she believes her grappling advantages can become the deciding factor once the fight settles into the areas where she wants it.

Rodriguez will not be an unfamiliar type of challenge. UFC characterized her as a competitor who has been on a three-fight win streak following a unanimous decision win over Sam Hughes, while also noting she previously suffered back-to-back defeats early in her UFC tenure before rebounding. Alencar and her opponent each see their current streak as the key swing point for the next step in the division.