Written by Viviane Araujo | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Viviane Araujo has faced some of the best there is in the UFC flyweight class, from contenders to prospects, and is once again paired up against a rising up-and-comer.
Days away from turning 38 years old, Araujo battles Karine Silva at Saturday night’s UFC 309 in New York looking to send a message to the division.
Araujo has won six of 11 fights since joining the promotion in 2019, defeating the likes of Jennifer Maia, Roxanne Modafferi and Alexis Davis but stumbling — but never finished — in front of future champion Alexa Grasso and younger prospects in Natalia Silva and Amanda Ribas.
Facing the fourth straight Brazilian opponent in a row, a sign that “Brazilian women are doing well in MMA,” Araujo sees “great potential” in 30-year-old “Killer” Silva. At UFC 309, however, she wants to make sure the experience factor is too much for the Gile Ribeiro Team talent.
“It’s not that simple,” Araujo laughed during an interview with MMA Fighting. “I was already ranked in the top 10 after I made my UFC debut in 2019, and I’m still here, and there’s a reason for that. I’m doing my job, and I’m not fooling around. I don’t choose opponents, and they are bringing tougher and tougher high-level girls. I keep proving I deserve to be here.
“My goal is to continue climbing and not letting these young girls get here. My goal is to fight for the belt and get to the top. I’ll fight a girl that is hyped and show my potential, show it’s not that simple. I’m ready to climb another step as well.”
Araujo’s past 10 UFC bouts ended via decision, the sole finish being a short-notice bantamweight victory over Talita Bernardo, and she misses a shorter night in the cage.
“We train to put on a show for the MMA fans,” Araujo said. “We know fans go crazy when a fight ends by knockout or submission so we’re always looking for that. I’m training to make sure I don’t leave it in the hands of the judges because someone they make mistakes. My goal is to feel that emotion again, the knockout or the submission.”
“I’ve watched and studied her fights a lot, she’s coming up in the division and has many weapons, so we have to stay alert,” she continued. “I’ve seen some holes in her fights so I know it’s going to be an interesting fight for the fans. I expect anything, and so can she. I’m a black belt in jiu-jitsu so I don’t know if she wants to go to the ground with me. I was never submitted in my career. I know she has weapons to stand or grapple with me, but I’m ready for all that.”