Female bantamweight Karol Rosa is set to face Lina Lansberg in the first fight of UFC 280.
Women’s bantamweight Karol Rosa has high hopes for what a win could bring her at UFC 280. Paired up against Lina Lansberg for the event’s curtain jerker, the Brazilian expects to move up in the rankings if she gets an impressive win.
In an interview with Combate, Rosa revealed she predicts a striking match, which could be an entertaining show for the fans. Futhermore, should she score a win, Karol does not want to sit out for much longer and hopes to return in time for the first event in Brazil since 2020, the upcoming UFC 282 card, in January.
“It will be a great fight. We’ll start off the card nicely. I like to strike and so does she. I’m sure the fight will take place on the feet and I’m really excited. The card is going to start off well. I hope I go up in the rankings. I know she’s below me, but I think that, if I win, the picture might change and I’d like to break into the top 5 if I beat her. Who knows. I’d really like to fight Raquel Pennington, but she has a fight booked. Who knows, maybe I could face Pannie Kianzad at the Rio card, too.”
In her last outing, Rosa (15-4) dropped a unanimous decision to Sara McMann, back in March of this year. That result marked the 27-year-old’s first UFC loss. Before that, Karol was on a four-fight winning streak in the Octagon, with victories over Lara Procopio, Vanessa Melo, Joselyne Edwards and Bethe Correia.
Now, Rosa is expected to face Lansberg at UFC 280, on October 22, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a lightweight match for the vacant belt, between former champion Charles Oliveira and contender Islam Makhachev.