Written by Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Viviane Araujo survived some early struggles and then came back to beat highly touted flyweight prospect Karine Silva in a featured bout at UFC 309.
In what was supposed to be showcase performance for Silva on Saturday night, Araujo said not so fast as she outworked her fellow Brazilian and really pushed the pace in the final round to secure the victory. When it was over, the judges all scored the contest 29-28 for Araujo, who picks up a statement win against Silva.
When the action started it was Silva in hot pursuit but Araujo did a good job circling away while throwing straight punches in succession and then moving before she could eat any shots in return. Araujo continued to connect with better strikes and even managed to stop a takedown attempt from Silva.
The momentum changed in a hurry when Silva finally connected with a stiff punch just before the first round ended that wobbled Araujo momentarily. Silva also cracked Araujo with a well-timed inside elbow that busted up her nose as blood began pouring down her face.
As the second round started, Silva continued to stalk Araujo across the cage, unloading huge heavy punches and clearly looking for the finish. Araujo was also breathing heavy out of her mouth thanks to the damage on her nose.
Rather that continuing to dish out punishment on the feet, Silva went for a takedown and it nearly backfired with Araujo briefly locking on an armbar from the bottom. Silva was in trouble momentarily but she defended well before slipping out of the submission and then applying one of her own with a D’arce choke attempt.
This time it was Araujo’s turn to break free and she ended the round on top, raining down punches on Silva.
With five minutes remaining, Silva was started to run out of gas and Araujo looked to take advantage. While Araujo wasn’t doing a ton of damage, she was landing the better punches and Silva was fading badly.
Just before time expired, Araujo managed a final takedown as an exhausted Silva crawled back to her feet after a strong start but a rough finish that ends in defeat.
A constant threat in the top 10 rankings, Araujo proved she’s still a tough out for anybody in the division while Silva has to pick up the pieces following a setback in her latest outing.