Most fight fans are overlooking the Octagon return of Tainara Lisboa tomorrow evening (Sat., May 17, 2025) at UFC Vegas 106 LIVE on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, but the Brazilian prospect will be making her official comeback after a serious knee injury forced her to “learn how to walk again.”
Lisboa, 34, made a successful UFC debut back in May 2023 with an impressive submission finish over MMA veteran Jessica-Rose Clark. After that, the women’s bantamweight prospect ended up meeting Ravena Oliveira in late-2023, but she fought with a serious knee injury. Lisboa went on to defeat Oliveira via unanimous decision to push her UFC record to 2-0, but she went right into surgery after that. She’s been sidelined ever since.
“It was very difficult,” Lisboa told MMA Fighting. “I could list the many difficulties I’ve faced, but the idea of not being able to do what I’ve done my entire life was the hardest part. This injury left me close to retiring. It was a test surgery. The doctor made it pretty clear that it could be successful or not.
“Imagine going that whole process after finally arriving in the UFC and putting on two good performances. You’re living the dream, and all of a sudden you have no idea if you’re going to come back. And if I do go back, am I the same Tainara? Can I become the best Tainara I can be? That was very complicated.”
Lisboa, who fought seven times from 2020-2023, went through a long and extensive recovery process, which caused a “leg thigh muscle atrophy of 2.3 inches.” The Brazilian fighter not only had to learn how to walk again, but she ballooned up in weight and spent months and months off the mat. In the end it was all worth it, but Lisboa’s return to UFC competition was not an easy one.
“I couldn’t walk up stairs, for example,” Lisboa said. “I learned how to walk again. There were moments I felt that was the end of the line for me, but I had a great team around me. Every time I was down, they picked me back up again. I started the toughest camp of my life on Dec. 2, 2023 not knowing the end result.”
With her knee injury in the past, Lisboa will make her third walk to the Octagon this weekend at UFC Vegas 106 when she meets talented bantamweight youngster Luana Santos on the “Prelims” undercard. If Lisboa can win in dramatic fashion and push her UFC win streak to three she could land a top 15 matchup her next time out.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25993992/VEGAS_106_MMA.png)
LIVE! Stream UFC Vegas 106 On ESPN+
WELTERWEIGHT CROSSROADS! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to is intimate APEX venue in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., May 17, 2025, with UFC Vegas 106. Former 170-pound title challenger, Gilbert Burns, collides with undefeated up-and-coming phenom, Michael Morales, in a blistering main event scheduled for five rounds. In UFC Vegas 106’s co-main event, battle-hardened Paul Craig locks horns with surging Light Heavyweight, Rodolfo Bellato, setting the stage for an explosive showdown in the 205-pound division.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 106 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 106 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Burns vs. Morales” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
Source link
