The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on Sunday with a women’s flyweight main event clash between Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo.
Featuring in her first main event over a six-year career, Alexa Grasso is pumped up for the challenge of going up against Araujo in a high-stakes clash. Grasso and Araujo are ranked fifth and sixth respectively in the flyweight division and a win could potentially escalate their chances of being the top contender for the title.
“It feels amazing to fight for the first time in the main event. I’ve been working with my team so hard and the results are coming, so this opportunity is big for all of us. This is an important fight for both of us and for the division because I think we are next in the line. We have the opportunity to perform in the five-round fight which is the closest to the belt in terms of fighting, so it’s a big challenge,” Grasso told Sportstar.
Grasso, who made her debut in 2016, has had her fair share of struggles with injuries, missing weight cuts and losses until the end of her strawweight days in 2019. Since her switch to the flyweight division, Grasso has notched up three successive wins in the Octagon.
“Well, failure is always a big motivation right? To perform and to do better, I think those little mistakes were a big motivation to me. I am more disciplined now and you know just enjoy at the same time as well. I think that I was too obsessed back then,” the Mexican added.
Grasso’s senior opponent Araujo has been a workhorse in the division over the last three years. The 35-year-old Brazilian has featured in seven fights over the past three years while compared to Grasso’s three and has won five bouts. The 29-year-old Grasso admitted to Araujo’s toughness. “Araujo is a great athlete. My team and I have been looking for her hand, her striking, and her Jiu-Jitsu which is her strongest weapon. We are pretty similar stat-wise. So it’s going to be interesting to fight a woman like you who is from another country, doing the same hard training as you do, and has the same goal.”
Main Event: Alexa Grasso vs Viviane Araujo Fight Stats
Alexa Grasso
- Age: 29
- Nationality: Mexico
- Height 5’5”
- Weight: 56.69 kg
- MMA record: 14 wins, three losses
- Stats: Four knockout wins, five first-round finishes
- Form guide (last five bouts): WWWLW
Vivane Araujo
- Age: 35
- Nationality: Brazil
- Height 5’4”
- Weight: 56.69 kg
- MMA record: 11 wins, three losses
- Stats: Four submission wins, four first-round finishes
- Form guide (last five bouts): WLWWL
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