Ariane Da Silva (nee Lipski) returned to action at UFC Vegas 91 against a former teammate and fellow Brazilian in Karine Silva, with not just a new name but new nickname.
Da Silva actually married in 2019, but due to holdups in paperwork with the U.S. government, she only recently received permission to use her married name. As for her nickname, she’s gone from “The Queen of Violence” to simply “The Queen,” something she attributed to renewing her faith during the UFC Vegas 91 media day.
New name or not, Ariane Da Silva was her dangerous self on Saturday, holding center early, catching a Karine Silva kick, and chopping at her opponent’s other leg. Karine remained upright, and about 90 seconds in secured a takedown off a bodylock that saw her land on top. Silva immediately looked to land elbows but was forced to back off by Da Silva, but failed to scramble up when she had the chance.
Karine Silva then moved into side control and looked to lock up a north-south choke, then threatened to mount before Ariane reclaimed half-guard. Da Silva might have connected with a questionable kick as she scrambled to her feet, but Silva appeared no worse for the wear. Now it was Ariane on her feet, with Karine on her back; Da Silva chose to get on top, working inside the dangerous guard of Karine Silva.
Round two saw kicks traded between Silva and Da Silva, with Ariane going high and coming close to catching the head. Karine Silva then caught a kick and used that to transition to a back-take, getting the fight down moments later. Karine was able to get on top, Silva holding on to half-guard. Eventually, despite Silva’s strong top game, Ariane grabbed a leg and locked in a heel hook; while unable to finish she did use the submission attempt to escape.
In the final minute of round two Karine Silva would draw “The Queen” back down; Da Silva defended with elbows and a kneebar attempt.
Karine Silva continued to prove to be a problem in round three. They’d hit the mat; Da Silva escaped, but Karine wound up taking her back to the fence. On the feet, there weree more kicking exchanges, with little else thrown. Da Silva went high for a kick that was locked again, but down in the fight, she would need to put something together. She finally did, firing a few hooks before Silva clinched up, leading to another takedown for Karine. In guard with just over a minute on the clock, that takedown likely put a final stamp on the fight.
Official Result: Karine Silva def. Ariane Da Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
