Viviane Araujo hopes to reinsert herself into the title conversation by stopping the rise of flyweight prospect Natalia Silva at Saturday’s UFC Vegas 85 event, and Araujo expects Alexa Grasso to still be sitting on the throne once she eventually gets there.
The UFC has yet to announce who will challenge Grasso next following her split draw with Valentina Shevchenko in September 2023. In their first bout, the Mexican talent choked out “Bullet” in the fourth round to claim the 125-pound title.
“I think it’s probably going to happen, a trilogy between the two next, which I didn’t want,” Araujo said with a laugh on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast. “I wanted the division to move [on] a little bit.”
Regardless of who Grasso faces next, Araujo feels as if the current champ will stay on top. Grasso earned a shot at the belt with a five-round decision victory over Araujo in October 2022, and now rides a six-fight unbeaten streak.
“Alexa is a very solid athlete who has grown a lot as of late,” Araujo said. “From what I can see from the girls at the top, I believe she will continue with the belt.”
Araujo’s back was against the wall for her own recent octagon appearance, when she earned a decision victory over former title contender Jennifer Maia this past October. Both athletes were on the final bouts of their respective deals heading into that event, and Araujo inked a new contract afterward. Maia was not re-signed.
“I won’t say I have less pressure going into this fight with Natalia now [because] I’ll always be alert and eager for the victory to climb the rankings,” Araujo said. “I don’t think I’ll climb the rankings that much with a win over her, but that’s another victory to my record and me getting more solid in the top 10 of the division. I’m going there to do what I love the most.”
Araujo sees similarities between Silva and Amanda Ribas, another hyped Brazilian talent who she faced previously, however she believes her grappling skills will help her come out victorious this time. Given the clash of styles, Araujo said her strategy is no secret.
“Natalia doesn’t have that much experience in the UFC [like Ribas], but I think she has a good game,” Araujo said. “She’s very skilled, so my team and I studied her quite a lot. I’m going there very alert because we never know how the opponent may surprise us.”
“I like the stand-up fight, I’m very aggressive on the feet, but my real love is for the grappling fight,” she continued. “I wasn’t able to show my ground game in the UFC yet, but I want it so bad. I’ve been sharpening my ground game for a long time, migrating from jiu-jitsu to MMA, and I’m in an excellent moment in my career right now. I’m fighting more intelligently, and I think I’ll be able to use my ground game, use my tools on Saturday, because that’s what’s going to surprise Natalia.”