It may have taken just a single Bellator showing to get to challenge for Julia Budd’s featherweight belt, but Talita Nogueira’s road this far was rougher than her record would suggest.

Nogueira (7-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) was signed to Bellator in 2014, but only got to debut in 2017. Her original appointment was, incidentally, against now-champ Budd (11-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA). The two were scheduled to meet at Bellator 133, in 2015, but ACL and meniscus tears forced Nogueira out just days before she was supposed to travel.

After recovering for close to one year, Nogueira got another solid booking, against veteran Marloes Coenen, at Bellator 163. Three months prior to signing the bout agreement, though, Nogueira’s mother died. Nogueira still wanted her Bellator debut badly enough to push forward, but had put on a lot more weight than usual in the emotionally challenging aftermath of the tough loss.

She came in way overweight, and the bout was scrapped.

Nogueira made up for lost time in her debut, though, submitting Amanda Bell in the first round of their Bellator 182 encounter. The unbeaten Brazilian is now set to meet Budd in the headliner of Bellator 202, which takes place July 13 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla.

Sure, it took some rocky times to get there. But not once, through them all, did Nogueira ever doubt they would eventually end.

“I knew I would turn things around,” Nogueira told MMAjunkie. “I knew it would happen eventually. I joked that my debuting in Bellator was a matter of honor. Since I was young, it’s always been like this with me: I’ve always had to take hits and then learn.

“The first time, I got injured right before I had to travel. Then, I’d just lost my mom. But I think everything happens for a reason. I’ve built the best team. We’re all very connected and happy. Regardless of anything that’s happened, everything is perfect. It’s great. I’m so happy I get to do this.”

Nogueira would know about blessings in disguise, considering that her official debut ended up being one. The Brazilian grappling ace was actually supposed to meet Gabrielle Holloway at first, when an injury brought Bell, then on a two-fight streak, along.

“I got multiple messages and calls from people saying the fight had gotten worse for me, that it was tougher,” Nogueira said. “I said no, that it was better: If I beat her, I’d be better placed in the rankings. And I was right.”

The great team Nogueira has alluded to is Vila da Luta, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is owned by this other jiu-jitsu expert you may have heard of: former two-time UFC title challenger Demian Maia. Nogueira shares half of her coaches with Maia – whom the Brazilian black belt hold as an example in MMA, as well.

Nogueira says training for Budd, which began the day after she got the title call, has been pleasurable and fun – which is exactly how she expects and wants the fight to be. That’s an understandable stance, considering that enjoying herself has worked out pretty well for Nogueira as she collected world titles in her other sport.

“In jiu-jitsu, I didn’t have grand ambitions,” Nogueira said. “I always did it with a lot of love. I always loved jiu-jitsu; it saved my life. I was always in love with the sport, and things just happened naturally for me. All the championships I won, all the friends that I made, trips, it was all very natural. And that’s how I want things to be in MMA, too. I train with the best. I love it.

“I love training, I love fighting. I had one fight, and now I’m fighting for the belt. Things just happen, and that’s how they should be – just making the most of the good things the sport can offer us.”

Despite her go-with-the-flow attitude as far as accolades go, Nogueira is far from nonchalant when it comes to the idea of having a belt wrapped around her waist.

“I visualize that every day,” Nogueira said. “When I wake up, when I train, when I diet, when I go to back. That’s the thing I think about the most. I even told my boyfriend that I will trade him for the belt, because the belt will be the one sleeping next to me.”

As for the tools Nogueira has on her side to make that happen, that’s really no secret. Sure, Nogueira wants to be a well-rounded athlete – especially because being better in the standup also helps when it comes to setting up the ground game. But her preference is quite clear.

“I want to represent jiu-jitsu, of course,” Nogueira said. “I’m a black belt. If it were up to me, I’d submit all my opponents – and quickly, too.”

Budd, one would assume, is aware of that, which makes for interesting preparation dynamics: Nogueira won’t relinquish her strongest asset, of course, but she also needs to be ready for a scenario in which Budd will focus her gameplan exactly on avoiding that.

For Nogueira, though, it’s more about honing her own skills than preparing for someone else’s.

“I don’t think anyone will want to go to the ground with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt,” Nogueira said. “So we prepare for that, too, for her trying to avoid that. But If she trains jiu-jitsu for this fight, it will be very good for me, because it means she’ll want to go to the ground with. If she doesn’t, it will be good for me, too.”

For more on Bellator 202, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.