Getty Natalia Silva celebrates a UFC win.
Viviane Araujo and Natalia Silva went to war at a UFC event Heavy attended Saturday inside the Apex in Las Vegas.
There were leg kicks, kicks to the jaw, and a back-and-forth for the ages as neither Araujo or Silva backed down.
There was little to separate them according to official UFC statistics as Araujo landed 63 shots from 110 thrown, while Silva landed 65 from 157.
Though Silva won the match, she had to do so by coming from behind as she seemingly surrendered the opening drame to Araujo, who closed the gap to control the real estate between them, fired kicks at Silva’s leg, and landed a solid overhand right, too.
The momentum switched in the second, though, as Silva’s striking was on point, she landed sharp counter shots, and appeared to have hurt Araujo early in the round.
Silva’s stalking of Araujo was unrelenting. She launched kicks at her opponent’s head, including a jumping switch kick.
In the third, it was again a case of one-way traffic as she threw kicks to Araujo’s legs, her head, and even targeted her body — with punches and a side kick.
Even before the final round the winner was clear but as if to emphasize the point, Silva, by the end, was faster, sharper, and more powerful.
All three judges awarded Silva the win having all agreed she had the edge with scores of 29-28 (x3).
Silva barely looked like she had a scratch on her face as she left the Octagon and walked backstage.
Nothing but smiles for @NataliaSilvaUFC after a W on her birthday 🥳 #UFCVegas85
“Any fight UFC will give me, I will win,” Silva told Heavy and other reporters in the press room, after her win.
She then told us that she’s “here to be the champion” , and is therefore targeting the types of opponents who would propel her further up the UFC flyweight rankings.
Silva, before the Araujo win, was ranked No.9 but her victory will no doubt lift her a few places.
A fight against a top-5 opponent in her next bout could see her compete against the likes of Jessica Andrade, Erin Blanchfield, and Valentina Shevchenko.
Other Results
Earlier in the show, Molly McCann defeated Diana Belbita with an armbar, Themba Gorimbo beat Pete Rodriguez in the first round with punches, and Luana Carolina scored a buzzer-beating knockout win over Julija Stoliarenko.
Elsewhere on the card, Charles Johnson out-pointed Azat Maksum at flyweight, Lee Jeong-yeong scored a wide unanimous decision win over Blake Bilder, and Marquel Mederos beat Landon Quinones.
In the very first fight of the night, Jamal Pogues beat Thomas Petersen in a heavyweight scrap.
UFC’s Next Event
UFC returns for another show at the Apex in Las Vegas on February 10.
Jack Hermansson, a Swedish-Norwegian middleweight and former Cage Warriors champion, takes on Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Joe Pyfer in a possible passing-of-the-torch type of fight.
Should Hermansson win, then he’ll continue his career in and amongst the top level that the UFC can offer.
However, should Pyfer prevail, then the victory would act as a huge springboard for big bouts in 2024 for the burgeoning fighter.
Other fights on the card include:
- Dan Ige vs. Andre Fili
- Robert Bryczek vs. Albert Duraev
- Brad Tavares vs. Gregory Rodrigues
- Michael Johnson vs. Darrius Flowers
- Rodolfo Vieira vs. Armen Petrosyan