New York City — Viviane Araujo turned back a fellow flyweight contender in Karine Silva at UFC 309, one many assumed might actually be fighting for the title in the near future.
Silva had been on an impressive run, with 17 of 18 career wins coming by finish. The storyline ahead of the fight was that Silva’s path to gold ran through Araujo. Well, as it turned out, Viviane Araujo decided to throw up a roadblock.
Following a hard-fought three round decision win on Saturday’s main card, Araujo (13-6), speaking via translator, told media outlets including Cageside Press that “I feel like a dream come true. I feel accomplished. The energy in Madison Square Garden was amazing. It’s surreal to feel the people there, especially against a girl, a prospect to be a contender, so it makes me feel even more accomplished with the win that I got.”
Araujo came close to finishing the fight with an arm-bar, and admitted that she was surprised Silva survived the submission attempt. “I locked it pretty good, and I have to take my hat off, I have respect for her. I really thought it was there, but she was able to get out of it.”
At one point in the fight, it appeared that Silva had hit Viviane Araujo after the bell. Araujo explained that Silva addressed the exchange after the fight.
“At the end of the first round, she went for a takedown and the time expired, and she kind of continued to pull me down. I actually think that it got kind of heated, but after the fight, at the end of the third round, she came up to me and said that her glove got caught on my own shorts, so that’s the reason I was pulled down. I know it looked like it was a little bit of a heated exchange there, but everything’s fine, she clarified it wasn’t [her] intention.”
Brazil’s Araujo, 37, has fought some of the biggest names in the flyweight division, including former champ Alexa Grasso, former title challengers Jennifer Maia and Katlyn Chookagian, and others. She’s still not ready to call her shot, however.
“I’m not one to call out for names, I don’t go out there and just call out and ask for people. I leave it to my manager,” she stated. “He goes out there and actually gets the person I need to fight to get closer to the belt.”
Watch the full UFC 309 post-fight press conference appearance by Viviane Araujo above.
