Sherdog Prospect Watch: Elora Dana

Elora Dana can shed the cloak of relative anonymity should all go according to plan in the Professional Fighters League.

The undefeated Brazilian will make her organizational debut in a women’s flyweight quarterfinal against Diana Avsaragova as part of the PFL 2025 World Tournament First Round 2 undercard this Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. A win there would thrust Dana into the spotlight at 125 pounds and move her ever closer to a life-altering payday.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

“The PFL brings a very important opportunity for me because of where I came from,” she told Sherdog.com. “It was not an easy path, and it still isn’t. Mine is a sad life story. I believe that God will give me the opportunity to get what I deserve, just as He allowed me to get this far. Everything I do in the fighting world is to fulfill my dream of having a good quality of life, as well as honoring and glorifying the name of God.”

Avsaragova looks to be a worthwhile test. The once-beaten Fight Club Akhmat product won her first six fights as a pro before losing a three-round unanimous decision to Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Justine Kish under the Bellator MMA banner in August 2023. Avsaragova, 26, has not competed since.

“I don't have much to say about my opponent,” Dana said. “I know that she’s good and that we’re going to have a great fight.”

A Jungle Fight champion with an extensive and accomplished background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Dana has rattled off seven consecutive victories—five of them finishes—since she transitioned to mixed martial arts in 2022. The CT Striker Team rep last suited up at a Jungle Fight show in May, when she buried Brena Cardozo with second-round punches in her native Brazil.

“All my fights were very important to me,” Dana said. “When I got started, I had no fights on my record and the girls I faced were already very experienced.”

Dana aims to take it one step at a time in the PFL tournament. Ekaterina Shakalova, Juliana Velasquez, Jena Bishop, Kana Watanabe, Liz Carmouche and Ilara Joanne comprise the rest of the eight-woman field at 125 pounds.

“Fighting is unpredictable,” Dana said, “so it’s impossible to know yet who will be in the final.”