[4] While practicing Sanda, Correia concluded that fighting provided what had been "missing" in her life, and sought to compete in mixed martial arts (MMA).

[1][4] Correia studied a number of techniques at the onset of her MMA career, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sanda, and Amateur Wrestling.

[1][5] She made her professional MMA debut in her native Brazil in May 2012, defeating Daniela Maria da Silva by unanimous decision at the First Fight: Revelations show.

"[1] Correia made her promotional debut the following December as she faced MMA veteran Julie Kedzie at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs.

[10] Following her third consecutive win in the UFC, Correia was challenged by former Strikeforce bantamweight champions Sarah Kaufman and Miesha Tate.

[12] She initially expressed interest in fighting Kaufman, but later stated that she was focused on getting a title shot against then-UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

[16] Following UFC 190, Correia expressed interest in bouts with Miesha Tate and Jessica Eye, but claimed that both women had declined.

[19] In April 2016, Correia fought Raquel Pennington at UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans, losing via split decision.

[23] The back-and-forth fight saw strong moments from both women, ultimately ending in a majority draw (29–27 Reneau, 28–28, and 28–28).

[35] Due to the event being relocated to the United States, Correia being unable to compete due to visa issues:[36] However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date[37] The bout eventually took place on July 26, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14.

[41] Subsequently, Correia was forced to pull out of the bout in early January after undergoing surgery to remove her appendix.

She is recognized for her punching combinations, counter strikes, spinning back fists, and aggressive right hands.

[49][50] At UFC 172, she used this technique to negate Jessamyn Duke's reach; she later used it to earn her stoppage against Shayna Baszler.