Tag: Viviane Araujo

UFC’s Viviane Araujo confident experience vs. ‘tough cookies’ gives advantage over Natalia Silva

Viviane Araujo thinks her experience against top competition will lead to victory vs. Natalia Silva at UFC Fight Night 235.

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] has a rising star in her path, but believes her experience against a higher tier of competition will help her be victorious.

In a battle between Brazilian flyweights, Araujo (12-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) will share the octagon with Natalia Silva at UFC Fight Night 235 (ESPN+) on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Silva (16-5-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has not tasted defeat since joining the promotion, but Araujo, who has faced top-tier competition throughout her UFC tenure, plans to change that.

“I’ve only gotten some tough cookies out there, no cupcakes,” Araujo said through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “When I saw the name, I know it’s an athlete that’s coming off of victories that’s tough, and it makes the fight more interesting.”

Araujo, currently ranked No. 13 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, has shared the cage with current flyweight champ Alexa Grasso, and four other former title challengers. It’s a trial by fire that has allowed Araujo to become comfortable against some of the best fighters around.

“This allowed me to get better and shape myself throughout,” Araujo said. “I was forged through this gauntlet of athletes. I’ve gotten better every time with this level of competition. I’ve been in it, facing the top athletes for quite some time, which makes me a very tough challenge for Natalia. There’s going to be a bump along the way.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

Video: ‘UFC Fight Night 235: Dolidze vs. Imavov’ media day interviews

Before UFC Fight Night 235 on Saturday, watch as the main card athletes fighters speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 235, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that streams entirely on ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happened to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 pre-event facts: Drew Dober looks to build on lightweight KO record

The best facts about UFC Fight Night 235, which features the return of Drew Dober, who has the most KO wins in lightweight history.

The UFC kicks off its February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 235, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

A pair of middleweights looking to take a big next step in the rapidly-evolving division meet in the main event. [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) will battle in a five-round bout that will see both sides look to claim their first headlining win inside the octagon.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC Fight Night 235.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Nov. 13-19)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 13-19.

Viviane Araujo wants ranked opponent to inch toward title shot after UFC Fight Night 230

Viviane Araujo beat Jennifer Maia and snapped a two-fight skid for her first win in 18 months in the UFC Fight Night 230 co-main event.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] beat Jennifer Maia with a unanimous decision Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 230 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Araujo, who snapped a two-fight skid for her first win in 18 months.

UFC Fight Night 230 post-event facts: Edson Barboza sets record for Fight of the Night bonuses

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 230, where Edson Barboza set a new record for most Fight of the Night bonuses.

The UFC’s second event of October got off to a slow start, but UFC Fight Night 230 closed with one of the best fights of the year.

The main event saw [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) rally from a vicious first-round beatdown to secure a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a thrilling Fight of the Night matchup of ranked featherweights.

Check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from that fight and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 230 card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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UFC Fight Night 230 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $21 million

UFC Fight Night 230 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 230 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $167,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 230 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 230 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tainara Lisboa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. autotag]Ravena Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brendon Marotte[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Dixon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Irina Alekseeva[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ashley Yoder[/autotag]: $11,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2301 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,651,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,170,00

UFC Fight Night 230 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 230 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 230 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 230 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.

UFC Fight Night 230: Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 230 odds between Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round women’s flyweight bout on the main card, Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 230 — also known as UFC Vegas 81 — at UFC Apex. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s around the UFC Fight Night 230: Maia vs. Araujo odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims can be viewed on ESPN+ starting at 4 p.m. ET with the main card following on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

Records: Maia (21-9-1) | Araujo (11-5-0)

Maia takes the walk with a pair of unanimous-decision victories in her previous 2 outings. That includes a win over Casey O’Neill last time out at UFC 286. In fact, the Team Chute Boxe fighter has ended up going the distance in 6 consecutive fights, winning 3 and losing 3, including a unanimous-decision setback to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 255 for the women’s flyweight strap.

Araujo has lost the past 2 fights against Alexa Grasso and Amanda Ribas, although those are 2 of the better fighters in the division, so not a lot of shame in that. Since arriving at the UFC with a KO/TKO over Talita Bernardo at UFC 237, Araujo has had 8 consecutive unanimous-decision fights, with 4 wins and 4 losses dating back to July 27, 2019.

Watch  this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 230: Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:11 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Maia -158 (bet $158 to win $100) | Araujo +134 (bet $100 to win $134)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -450 | Under +300)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -380 | No +270)

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UFC Fight Night 230: Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

MAIA (-158) is a decent play as a moderate favorite on the 2-way line. She has been far more consistent, and has fought against a better class of fighters, too.

There is concern, as Maia gives up 4 inches in reach to Araujo (+134), but her experience and stamina is a huge plus. We should see a bout that is upright, with the fighters exchanging blows, trying to wow the judges. I also like MAIA BY POINTS (-110) for a little bit better of a value.

Over/Under (O/U)

Over 2.5 Rounds (-450) and Yes: Will the fight go the distance? (-380) are both way overpriced. There is just no value laying that kind of money for such a small reward.

AVOID, and focus on the 2-way line and/or the method of victory instead.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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Viviane Araujo eyeing potential rematch with Alexa Grasso – but snapping skid comes first

Viviane Araujo is no different than most fighters who keep an eye on the champions in their divisions.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] is no different than most fighters who keep an eye on the champions in their divisions.

In Araujo’s case at women’s flyweight, that’s Alexa Grasso, who happens to be Araujo spent 25 minutes with. And it was that unanimous decision win over her that got Grasso a title shot, which led to an upset of Valentina Shevchenko – and another upset in their rematch.

Given Araujo (11-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has lost back-to-back fights heading into her UFC Fight Night 230 co-main event against Jennifer Maia (21-9-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC), she’s not likely to get another crack at Grasso with just one win. Still, she’ll plan as if that will be the case.

“It was details that lost the fight (for me) over those five rounds, and since then she’s been evolving a lot,” Araujo said through a translator at Wednesday’s media day for UFC Fight Night 230. “That’s why she’s grown so much in the organization. I’m always trying to evolve and paying attention, studying my possible opponents. I’ll be ready for whatever comes my way.”

To that end, Araujo also said she’s been working with a sports psychologist to improve the mental side of her game.

Check out her full UFC Fight Night 230 media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.