Alice Pereira vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
UFC Fight Night · October 10, 2026 · Meta Apex · Prelims 5:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Precocious power vs. measured veteran striking
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- Pereira -130 · Zheleznyakova +110Consensus (multiple sportsbooks)
- The stakes
- Women's Bantamweight · Prelims
The read
Pereira is the slight betting favorite, and her knockout power gives her a real path to a statement win against more experienced competition.
Zheleznyakova's durability and craft make her a live underdog capable of grinding out a decision if she can avoid the younger striker's power early.
The matchup
This pits a 20-year-old prospect still finding her footing in the UFC against a veteran whose career has been defined by a 50/50 split of knockouts and decisions.
Pereira's power has shown up early in both her UFC wins and losses — her lone defeat and her lone win have each been decided inside two rounds in different directions — while Zheleznyakova's more measured striking has been enough to beat a fellow veteran but not enough to solve either of her finishers.
Tale of the tape
| 7-1 | Record | 10-3 |
| 20 | Age | 30 |
| 5'8" | Height | 5'9" |
| 71" | Reach | 68" |
| — | Stance | — |
| Brazil | Country | Russia |
| Life MMA / Portugal Top Team | Team | — |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Alice Pereira 7-1
“Golden Girl”
Alice "Golden Girl" Pereira is a 20-year-old Brazilian bantamweight and the youngest fighter on the current UFC roster, with five of her seven career wins coming by knockout. Her long-awaited UFC debut ended in a split-decision loss to Montserrat Rendon at Noche UFC in September 2025, but she rebounded with a second-round knee knockout of Hailey Cowan in April 2026. She now faces Russian veteran Darya Zheleznyakova in just her third UFC appearance.
- WHailey Cowan · KO/TKO (knee)UFC Fight Night · April 4, 2026
- LMontserrat Rendon · Decision (split)Noche UFC · September 13, 2025
Darya Zheleznyakova 10-3
“Iron Lady”
Darya "Iron Lady" Zheleznyakova is a 30-year-old Russian bantamweight born in Saint Petersburg, with her 10 career wins split evenly between five knockouts and five decisions. She answered a submission loss to Ailin Perez with a decision win over Melissa Mullins in June 2025, but dropped a decision to Melissa Croden in April 2026. She now meets 20-year-old prospect Alice Pereira in Las Vegas.
- LMelissa Croden · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night · April 18, 2026
- WMelissa Mullins · Decision (unanimous)UFC Baku · June 21, 2025
- LAilin Perez · Submission (arm-triangle choke)UFC Fight Night · September 28, 2024