Viviane Araujo wants to make Alexa Grasso pay on the ground when they meet in the main event of UFC Vegas 62 this Saturday in Las Vegas.
The Brazilian flyweight finally faces Grasso after two previous cancellations in 2022, a frustrating change of plans that gave her the opportunity to have a long training camp and extra time to break down every aspect of Grasso’s fighting style for their Oct. 15 clash.
“We studied her game a lot and saw that her boxing is really good and sharp,” Araujo said on MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca. She is very assertive, but she also loves to stick with a plan. Her volume of strikes is the biggest danger she brings to the fight. She’s evolving on the ground, but I don’t see so much danger in her ground. She is more dangerous than her feet .”
A jiu jitsu blackbelt since 2015 and who has just received her black belt for luta livre, Araujo hopes to make Grasso lose her second submission in MMA. Grasso lost via tapout once previously, a first round rear-naked choke to Tatiana Suarez . Grasso stopped Joanne Wood with the same choke that won her UFC win.
“I really want to show my ground game in the UFC,” Araujo said. “I haven’t had that opportunity yet. Although I showed a bit against Andrea Lee last time, she was strong against my attacks and my arm-triangle choke as well as attacks from my back.
“Everyone in the top 10 is tough so we have to be sharp, but I see the ground as an opening in her game. I worked really hard on my luta livre and wrestling because I want to take her down and finish this fight. I won’t leave the decision up to the judges
Araujo would be among the top flyweights of the UFC if she wins Saturday’s bout, but will not look too far ahead. Araujo considers fighting Taila Santos, the former title challenger to Araujo, “probable” or against Manon Fiorot in UFC s fight between Katlyn Crookagian and Manon Chookagian as “probable.” Unlike many Brazilian fighters, however, Araujo won’t necessarily call for a spot on the UFC 283 show in Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 21 next.
“It really depends on this fight, but I want to brawl it out with Alexa,” she said. “It depends if I’ll have an injury after the fight. I’m not thinking too much about coming back at UFC Rio in January, I want to give my all in this fight. It will be close. I have just done two camps and need to rest. I am closer to the top and it is harder to book fights.
“But I would really love to fight at UFC [283] because my [UFC] debut was in Rio.”
