Athletes
Ariane Lipski Is Ready To Give It Everything She Has
With A Reformed Training Environment, Ariane Lipski Believes Now Is Her Time To Climb The Ladder At UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Dvalshvili
Ariane Lipski knew she needed a change. Not a big one, but enough of a shift to get her out of a rut that saw her lose three of her last four bouts. She had found a nice home in Florida training at American Top Team, where she particularly improved her grappling, but the supergym left her wanting a bit. Conveniently, she found exactly what she wanted with double-champ Amanda Nunes’ gym.
Lipski, along with her longtime coach Renato Rasta, were able to hone in on things a bit more specifically ahead of Lipski’s bout with JJ Aldrich at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Davalisvhili.
“I feel like I needed a little bit more privacy,” Lipski told UFC.com. “American Top Team is a very big gym, so you get a lot of influence from different athletes and different coaches. I needed to focus a little bit more and go back to my roots. That's how Amanda has been working since her last fight - a little more privately. She opened her gym for us so we could work this way.”
“The Queen of Violence” not only found a space to train the way she needed, but also a wealth of knowledge that few, if any, in the sport can match at present.
Between the two-division champion and UFC veteran Nina Nunes, Lipski soaked up as much as she could.
“Whenever we talk, (Amanda) tries to pass on everything she’s learned on her own,” Lipski said. “She tries to teach me and give me some tips. It was great.”
She is hoping to put those lessons to good use against Aldrich as she searches for her first win since September 2021.
FIght Island 2: Lipski delivers a kneebar against Carolina
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FIght Island 2: Lipski delivers a kneebar against Carolina
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In 2022, Lipski struggled not only in the Octagon – she fought once and lost to Priscila Cachoeira via first-round knockout – she struggled a bit outside of it as well with her health. Originally scheduled to face Aldrich in March 2022, Lipski was forced to withdraw from the bout.
Her original date with Cachoeira was pushed a week because Lipski missed weight and was not medically cleared. Still adamant she could compete, the two fought a bantamweight contest a week later. With hindsight, Lipski knows she shouldn’t have pushed her body so harshly, and that understanding of herself aided her in a better camp this time around.
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“On fight night, I was very stressed and I couldn’t focus,” Lipski said. “I got there, and I couldn’t implement my strategy. So what I take from that fight is that you have to understand your body, to know yourself and your limits, and just focus a lot.”
Facing Aldrich a year after they were originally booked, Lipski is well-aware of the opportunity fighting a veteran like Aldrich presents.
She expects the Colorado native to stick to a standup approach at first, but Lipski is confident that her power and pressure will turn Aldrich into a grappler rather quickly.
“I think it gets me very close to the rankings,” Lipski said. ”Her last fight was against Erin Blanchfield, who’s also in the Top 5. She’s been fighting in the UFC for a long time, so I believe we’re really (close) to getting in the rankings.”
Whether or not that proves true, Lipski has a sense of urgency about her throughout fight week. After coming into the promotion with plenty of hype following her reign as the KSW flyweight champion, Lipski has shown spurts of what made her such an exciting prospect circa 2019.
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Even though she has plenty of time to put together a run and make good on her potential, she is also keen to the role she plays for the Brazilian women who will come after her, as well as the piece she carries for those who came before her.
“I feel I have a responsibility to the next generation, to the future fighters and women who get inspired by me,” she said. “I’m also representing the women who came before me. I'm very happy. It just gives me more motivation to go there and give it all I've got.”
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Dvalishvili took place live from The Theater At Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on March 11, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive all the action at UFC Fight Pass!
