Talita Alencar not concerned about Piera Rodriguez's striking

Talita Alencar is preparing for a challenging matchup against Piera Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 123 on Saturday. Both strawweights enter the contest riding three-fight winning streaks and looking to strengthen their positions in the division's top 15. Although the Venezuelan fighter is known for her stand-up game, Alencar is confident she can deal with her opponent's striking.

Talita Alencar Has Studied Piera Rodriguez's Fighting Style

Alencar currently holds the No. 14 spot in the UFC strawweight rankings, while Rodriguez sits at No. 10. The Brazilian is coming off victories over Julia Polastri, Ariane Carnelossi, and Vanessa Demopoulos. Meanwhile, Rodriguez has defeated Sam Hughes, Ketlen Souza, and Josefine Knutsson in her last three appearances.

Having watched her opponent's fights several times during preparation, Alencar is confident she has a good understanding of Rodriguez's habits and tendencies. The Brazilian acknowledged the Venezuelan's boxing skills but pointed out that she does not rely heavily on kicks and often looks to engage in the clinch.

"I watched all her fights about ten times," Alencar told Ag Fight. "I studied her habits a lot. She's a bit similar to Julia (Polastri). She likes to brawl and has good boxing. She's a little longer than me, but not by much — I'm the shortest fighter in the UFC. I'm not too worried about her striking because she's not someone who kicks that much. She likes to clinch. We're very familiar with her style."

Talita Alencar Questions Piera Rodriguez's Knockout Power

Although Alencar recognizes that Rodriguez's boxing will require attention, she does not see the Venezuelan's punching power as a major concern. The Brazilian highlighted that Rodriguez has yet to score a knockout in the UFC, with all of her victories inside the Octagon coming by decision.

In fact, Rodriguez has recorded five knockout and TKO victories throughout her professional career, but all of them came before joining the UFC. Alencar believes that distinction gives her confidence heading into Saturday's matchup. In any case, the Brazilian also knows she will still need to be careful when exchanging strikes.

"Her boxing is what I have to be careful with, but it's not something that worries me because she hasn't knocked anyone out in the division yet," Alencar said. "All her fights have been won by the judges' decision. She had some wins before the UFC by submission and knockout, but she hasn't been able to do that inside the UFC yet."

Alencar and Rodriguez will meet in a strawweight bout at UFC Vegas 123 at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. The event will be headlined by a lightweight matchup between Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan.