There have been plenty of couples competing inside the UFC, from Amanda Nunes and Nina Nunes, to Rose Namajunas and Pat Barry, but no duo has ever been able to claim gold.
Karol Rosa and Denise Gomes aim to change that.
The bantamweight Rosa, 7-3 overall in the UFC, is now ranked No. 10 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings after a victory over Pannie Kianzad. She re-enters the cage this weekend to battle Ailin Perez at UFC 311 in Los Angeles. The 25-year-old Gomes, victorious against Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Eduarda Moura in 2024, hopes to enters the elite of the strawweight class this year.
“Denise hasn’t shown how good she is yet,” Rosa told MMA Fighting. “She had two incredible knockouts [over Bruna Brasil and Yazmin Jauregui] and we’re both doing well in the UFC. I have no doubt [the UFC] will have a couple as champions in a few years.”
Gomes defeated one-time UFC title contender Kowalkiewicz on Nov. 9, while Rosa said she was offered the main event spot of that show opposite Mayra Bueno Silva until the UFC eventually moved that matchup to January. Then plans changed entirely to have her fight Perez on Jan. 18, with Silva returning to flyweight.
Rosa likes the idea of being on the same card of her partner, especially as the main event, but sees the pros and cons of such an experience.
“‘De’ and I love fighting [on the same night] because we help each other,” Rosa said. “There are positive and negative sides of it. The bad side is that we’re both on a diet. Diet sucks, and when you add PMS, it’s complicated [laughs]. But the good side is that we celebrate together afterwards.”
Rosa admitted she expected to face a top-ranked opponent after being briefly linked to a Fight Night main event with “Sheetara.” However, facing Perez gives her mileage and experience inside the octagon.
“I want to become champion, I have what it takes to become the champion,” Rosa said, “So I see that as opportunity to become more mature for when the time comes and I fight for the belt and don’t lose it in my first defense. This is preparation for me. I need to take things step by step in order to become champion, and this is another step.”
Perez has won four in the UFC with a trio of decisions, plus a submission over Darya Zheleznyakova, since dropping her promotional debut to Stephanie Egger in 2022, and Rosa respects her grappling skills. The Brazilian has gone the distance in all her UFC fights so far, with no finishes since early 2019.
“We always go in there looking to finish the fight — it’s funny that I’ll say this, but I want this fight to last three rounds,” Rosa said. “You know when you feel like you want to fight and show how much you’ve evolved? If it ends early, even better, but I’m always preparing for five rounds. I’m ready to fight three rounds and show my evolution, to show other girls that I’m a badass.”
