Poliana Botelho returns to flyweight following UFC Argentina loss to Cynthia Calvillo

Poliana Botelho’s run as a strawweight is over.

The Nova Uniao fighter, who suffered a first-round submission loss to Cynthia Calvillo earlier this month at UFC Argentina, announced on her social media recently that she’s moving back up to flyweight for her future fights.

Botelho fought her entire career as a 125-pounder before joining the UFC in 2017, but dropped to 115 pounds since the women’s flyweight division had yet to be opened.

The Brazilian talent quickly went 2-0 in the UFC with wins over Pearl Gonzalez and Syuri Kondo, and told MMA Fighting before the Calvillo fight that she had no plans moving back to flyweight any time soon.

However, on a statement she posted on social media on Thursday, Botelho revealed she was already planning on going back to flyweight even before the defeat in Buenos Aires, for which Calvillo failed to make weight.

“At first, everybody thought it would be impossible for me to make 115, but with my medical and nutritionist team we proved it was possible,” Botelho wrote. “I fought three times and always made weight, even under the limit, but we made the decision, even before the fight in Argentina, that we would go back up to flyweight, especially because of my health, because I was putting my health at risk and it was affecting my training as well.

”My next fight will be at flyweight, and with that I will be able to fight more times per year without affecting my health.”

Botelho (7-2) had a five-fight winning streak snapped in Argentina. The UFC has yet to announce a date and opponent for her fourth appearance inside the Octagon.