Who is Julia Polastri?

Julia Polastri's road to her upcoming UFC debut has featured highs, lows, and everything in between.

Polastri will make her UFC debut against Stephanie Luciano at UFC Vegas 89 on March 23. She earned a shot in the UFC via Dana White's Contender Series last year, after submitting Patricia Alujas.

If Polastri's name sounds familiar to hardcore DWCS fans, it's because her appearance on DWCS last year was her second career fight on the show. She lost to UFC flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius in September 2021 and went back to the drawing board to work her way back to the UFC spotlight.

Polastri has won four consecutive fights since the loss to Jasudavicius. She won the vacant LFA strawweight title by defeating Brenda Gottif at LFA 151 before the invite to DWCS in 2023.

Julia Polastri makes her UFC debut after Dana White's Contender Series showing

Bouncing back has been a theme of Polastri's professional MMA career. After losing in her professional debut in Sept. 2017, she won back-to-back fights before another loss to Valesca Machado in May 2018.

The loss to Machado led to a six-fight winning streak for Polastri, who ended up winning the Shooto Brasil strawweight championship just five fights later.

Polastri was originally scheduled to make her UFC debut on March 2 against Josefine Knutsson, before Knutsson withdrew due to injury. The UFC moved quickly to secure Polastri's UFC debut against a new opponent.

Polastri is a fan-friendly fighter who rarely allows her fights to go the full distance. She's earned four KO/TKO wins and three submission wins during her professional career.

Polastri adds a new dimension to the UFC's strawweight division. The 25-year-old could be a major player in the division's future and potentially contend for a title.

First thing's first for Polastri as she looks to pass the biggest test of her career in her UFC debut. A win in Las Vegas could go a long way in determining whether or not the hype behind her potential is warranted.