Alice Pereira reveals therapy helped secure first UFC win
· Yahoo Sports
Alice
Pereira went to therapy after a setback in her
UFC debut.
Pereira (7-1) took on Hailey Cowan (7-5) in a bantamweight clash at UFC Fight Night 272 in Las Vegas. “Golden Girl” shut Cowan’s lights out with a flush flying knee late in the second round. The 20-year-old says her first win inside the Octagon feels like earning an A in her school test.
Pereira was undefeated going into her UFC debut against Montserrat Rendon at Noche UFC last year. Pereira suffered her lone professional loss against Rendon via a hard-fought split decision. Pereria recently revealed that he went to therapy to figure out what she was lacking that had led to the loss. However, as therapy progressed, Pereira realized that she already had the necessary skillset to win. Pereira says it is her renewed self-belief that led to her first UFC win on Saturday.
“After my last fight, I started seeing a therapist,” Pereira said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I wanted to know why I didn’t win my UFC debut, what I was missing, what did I have to do to improve and start getting wins. She asked me, ‘What do you think is missing?’ And I didn’t know what to say. I always pushed myself so hard, I always did my best. And as therapy went on, I found out that nothing was missing. I had the power, I had the confidence, I had the level, I just needed to believe in myself. So I think I’m here today with the win because I was able to believe in myself and my skills.”
Pereira (7-1) took on Hailey Cowan (7-5) in a bantamweight clash at UFC Fight Night 272 in Las Vegas. “Golden Girl” shut Cowan’s lights out with a flush flying knee late in the second round. The 20-year-old says her first win inside the Octagon feels like earning an A in her school test.
Pereira was undefeated going into her UFC debut against Montserrat Rendon at Noche UFC last year. Pereira suffered her lone professional loss against Rendon via a hard-fought split decision. Pereria recently revealed that he went to therapy to figure out what she was lacking that had led to the loss. However, as therapy progressed, Pereira realized that she already had the necessary skillset to win. Pereira says it is her renewed self-belief that led to her first UFC win on Saturday.
Finding Self Belief
“After my last fight, I started seeing a therapist,” Pereira said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I wanted to know why I didn’t win my UFC debut, what I was missing, what did I have to do to improve and start getting wins. She asked me, ‘What do you think is missing?’ And I didn’t know what to say. I always pushed myself so hard, I always did my best. And as therapy went on, I found out that nothing was missing. I had the power, I had the confidence, I had the level, I just needed to believe in myself. So I think I’m here today with the win because I was able to believe in myself and my skills.”
"Tonight was a little taste of what I can bring to the UFC."
Alice Pereira (@AlicePereiraUFC) delivers a statement performance at #UFCVegas115, knocking out Hailey Cowan in the second round to earn her first UFC win.
Results, highlights & more ➡️ https://t.co/m9CTWyMV9qpic.twitter.com/1Ija9fWgk6— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 5, 2026
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