Viviane Araujo will look to snap a two fight losing skid this weekend, as she takes on Jennifer Maia at UFC Vegas 81.
The Brazilian was originally scheduled to take on Casey O’Neill at UFC 293, but O’Neill pulled out of the bout due to an injury.
At the UFC Vegas 81 media day, “Vivi” detailed the excitement she is feeling ahead of her co-main event spot, whilst also sharing some of the things she’s been working on ahead of the match-up with Maia.
“I’m really excited, I had a perfect camp for Jennifer and even more excited because it’s the co-main event.
I worked a lot on my boxing and also on my wrestling and ground game. The objective is always to win and if it’s a submission or decision to me I need to get the win, that’s what my focus is on and that’s what I’m prepared for.”
As mentioned before, Araujo (11-5) is coming in off the back of two losses, and this is the first time she has suffered that in her professional career. The 36-year-old opened up about how ahead of this fight, she has been working closer with a sports psychologist to make sure the pressure doesn’t affect her performance.
“That was a suggestion from my coach, Daniel [Evangelista], I’ve been with her [the psychologist] since 2016, we know each other really well and she does an excellent job with me,” explained Araujo. “It helps me focus on everything in the training and helps me focus on the fighting and makes me perform better. We all have our personal lives and it helps me keep it separate.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 81 media day appearance from Viviane Araujo above.
