Las Vegas, NV — American Top Team flyweight Ariane Lipski is glad to finally be back in the octagon this weekend, after taking the longest break of her career following her last fight.
Lipski (14-7) defeated Mandy Bohm last September, and while the victory was important, so too was showing refinements to her game.
“My last fight was not about the victory, but I felt more mature during the fight, during the training camp,” she told media outlets including Cageside Press during Wednesday’s media day. “I really felt that I improved the things that I was looking for. And now I’m really excited to get back to the cage, and I can’t wait to show more improvement.”
A shoulder injury postponed Lipski’s return, which was originally scheduled for March. “If you’re not 100%, it’s not a good idea [to fight]. And I already made this mistake, like before. So for this time, my coach, he told me ‘this time, we’re going to [do it] different. Let’s break the cycle, don’t make the same mistake again.” That meant ensuring Lipski was able to train fully, in all disciplines. “This fight came at the right time.”
This Saturday, she plans to show further improvement against fellow Brazilian Priscila Cachoeira. While the time off wasn’t something she was looking for, at the same time, Lipski appears to have found a silver lining. “I’m the kind of fighter who likes to be fighting as soon as possible, but I think this time was important, to improve my technique, my game, my game in MMA,” she stated.
“Sometimes bad things happen for a good reason. I’m more excited to fight; I’m sure this was the most time that I’ve had no fight, so I’m really excited to get back.”
Entering her third fight with Florida’s ATT, Lipski said the experience training at the world-class gym has been “awesome. I really felt like I improved what we were looking for to improve. My wrestling, my grappling for MMA. I had good jiu-jitsu in Brazil, but it’s different wrestling, and you mix wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Also you have to have some partners training who put you in some situations so you then you can learn how to use your techniques. This is what we were looking for.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 59 media day appearance by Ariane Lipski above. Lipski faces Priscila Cachoeira this Saturday, August 6, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
