Athletes
Viviane Araújo: ‘She’s Got Her Hands Full’
Flyweight Viviane Araújo Hopes To Steal The Hype From Rising Star Natalia Silva At UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov in Las Vegas
It’s been a bumpy road for UFC flyweight Viviane Araújo the last two years.
Brazil’s Araújo started her professional mixed martial arts career by winning 10 of her first 12 fights, but as soon as she approached the top of the flyweight mountain, she couldn’t string together enough wins to earn a shot at a UFC title.
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Araújo lost three of her next four fights, but she was fighting some of the toughest opponents the 125-pound division has to offer, including the current champion Alexa Grasso, No. 4 contender Katlyn Chookagian, and Amanda Ribas, who sits at No. 8 in both the strawweight and flyweight divisions.
But in October of 2023, Araújo cemented her spot in the rankings with a dominant win over former title challenger Jennifer Maia. Not only did Araújo out-strike Maia, but she amassed over seven minutes of control time from just two successful takedowns.
In her post-fight interview with UFC.com, Araújo said she brushed off the pressure of those prior defeats and went into the Octagon with full confidence in her coaches’ gameplan.
“For the fight against Jennifer Maia, I was able to really work on my patience and my fighting IQ,” Araújo said. “I was able to show everyone that I’ve been evolving with each UFC fight. I try to work on the small details so I can get the win and move up the rankings.”
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With such a dominant win, Araújo wanted her next opponent to have a ranking by their name, and she got her wish. Enter Natalia Silva, a rising star who’s won all four of her UFC fights with relative ease. Since her UFC debut, Silva’s showcased excellent striking against each of her opponents. Earlier in her career, however, it was her grappling that led to the majority of her success.
“Natalia is becoming very strong in the division,” Araújo said. “She has four wins in a row, so she has a lot of hype right now. She’s a very skillful and dangerous athlete. I’m very excited to fight Natalia because she brings a totally different style from what I’m used to fighting. She really likes to move around in the cage, and my team and I have done some work based on that and came up with a great game plan to get the win on Saturday.”
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Araújo didn’t dive into her gameplan, for obvious reasons, however, she said most of her training camp was focused on becoming a better athlete and improving all aspects of MMA to be ready for anything Silva brings her way this Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov in Las Vegas.
“I’ve been working a lot,” Araújo said. “I have been able to improve a lot since my last fight. I’m always looking to evolve my grappling, wrestling and striking skills in training camp, so I’m becoming an even more well-rounded athlete so I can perform very well on Saturday.”
Viviane Araújo Here To Put Brasilia On The Map
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Viviane Araújo Here To Put Brasilia On The Map
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While Araújo’s used to fighting established top contenders at this stage of her career, a win over an up and comer with so much hype behind her could be the spark Araújo needs to make another run at the top of the division, which is exactly what she plans on doing in 2024.
During her fight week interview with UFC.com, Araújo said an ideal 2024 is to fight often and get a few solid wins so she’s knocking on the door of a title shot by year’s end.
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“Natalia has a lot of hype right now; everyone’s been saying she’s a great fighter, that she’ll move up even higher in the division” Araújo said. “But she has to get through me first. I’ll be very well prepared to showcase my game and my strengths, so she’s got her hands full. I know she’ll come very well prepared and so will I.”
UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 3, 2024. See the final Main Card & Prelim Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
