NEW YORK – It’s not like the UFC’s women’s flyweight division is just overflowing with fighters, so a Viviane Araujo stat this week might be an anomaly.
Still, the fact remains: For the fourth straight fight, Araujo (12-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC), from Brazil, will step into the cage against another Brazilian. This time, it’ll be Karine Silva (18-4 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It’s been a mixed bag of results for the 37-year-old Araujo in that run, which includes decision losses to Amanda Ribas and Natalia Silva, the latter of which came in February, and a win over former title challenger Jennifer Maia.
And while she’d like to fight someone not from Brazil, she knows it means women’s 125-pounders in the UFC are making her homeland proud.
“(I’d like to fight) somebody from another nationality, but it only show shows the worth of female MMA in Brazil,” Araujo said Wednesday at a media day for UFC 309. “It shows the work that we put in, and (the matchups against Brazilians are) just a result of that.”
When Araujo arrived in the UFC in 2019, she delivered a third-round knockout against Talita Bernardo – a Brazilian; go figure. But since then, it’s been 10 straight 15-minute fights and a middling 5-5 record of all decisions.
Araujo said she’s battled recent injuries and surgeries, but now has recovered, and has the added inspiration on the home front of her wife getting ready to give birth. She thinks Silva might want the fight on the canvas with her, but also said she’s ready no matter where the near 3-1 favorite wants to play things.
“You can’t forget that I’m a jiu-jitsu black belt. I think she should be wary before coming down to the ground. But I’m ready to strike with her and believe it’s going to be some heavy artillery coming at her.”
Check out Araujo’s full interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.