Who is the UFC's newest signing Irina Alekseeva and why is she called 'Russian Ronda'?

The UFC recently announced the signing of former Bellator fighter Irina Alekseeva of Russia. The women's flyweight contender had an impressive career in judo and has been nicknamed 'Russian Ronda', most likely due to her accomplishments within the competitive judo scene.

Alekseeva has a professional MMA record of four wins and one loss. Her only defeat came against Liliya Kazak via unanimous decision at ProFC 66 in late 2019 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. 'Russian Ronda' is 32 years old and is a three-time silver medalist at the Russian Judo Championships. Alekseeva also won gold in the Russian and European Sambo Championships.

Irina Alekseeva will likely be dominant on the ground when making her UFC debut, which is yet to be announced. In her most recent outing, 'Russian Ronda' beat Stephanie Page at Bellator 269 last year and hasn't fought since.

Alekseeva's other professional MMA wins have come against Zlata Sheftor, Shahzoda Rakhimova and Gulnara Garaeva. Her debut win came under strange circumstances, with Garaeva refusing to fight, which awarded 'Russian Ronda' an easy victory.

Watch Alekseeva in action here:

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Which weight division will Irina Alekseeva compete in for the UFC?

Despite Irina Alekseeva competing at flyweight, featherweight and catchweight during her professional bouts, 'Russian Ronda' is said to be stepping down in weight when joining the UFC. Her manager, Brian Butler, confirmed that Alekseeva will not be competing in Dana White's Contender Series as previously expected and will likely make her full UFC debut at strawweight.

The UFC's current strawweight limit is 115lbs, which would seemingly be a big cut for the Russian, given her bout against Shahzoda Rakhimova was fought at 145lbs. With her natural weight advantage and grappling proficiency, 'Russian Ronda' could be one to watch in the UFC's women's strawweight division.

Alekseeva's biggest weakness right now would be her striking. However, given her recent Instagram posts, it seems that the Russian is working on this area of her game. 'Russian Ronda' has only submitted one of her five opponents, with that win coming against Zlata Sheftor in the first round of her RCC 6 bout in March 2019.