Preview: UFC Fight Night 235 ‘Dolidze vs. Imavov’

Women’s Flyweights

Natalia Silva (16-5-1, 4-0 UFC) vs. Viviane Araujo (12-5, 6-4 UFC)

ODDS: Silva (-345), Araujo (+275)

This might be the most important fight on the card in terms of divisional relevance, particularly since Silva has looked every bit the future contender since bursting onto the scene. When the UFC signed Silva in 2020, her regional film was not particularly impressive. Add in that her UFC debut got delayed by about two years, and the Brazilian had almost no momentum leading into her 2022 fight against Jasmine Jasudavicius. Still, Silva absolutely showed out against a solid opponent. Her athleticism in particular absolutely popped, allowing her to handily outmaneuver Jasudavicius for the better part of three rounds. Silva’s speed has mostly been the story thus far. Her decision making can still be questionable, and the UFC has matched her against some of the slower flyweights on the roster, but it still appears difficult for opponents going forward to keep up. That makes Araujo an interesting next challenge for Silva, since her countrywoman is essentially a fighter in the same mold.

Araujo has carved out a niche as a fighter more reliant on her athletic gifts than any particular area of technical depth. Araujo also took the UFC by storm early on in her career. A strawweight on the regional scene, “Vivi” stepped up for a late-notice debut up at bantamweight and knocked out Talita Bernardo, then cut down to flyweight and beat Alexis Davis to suddenly establish herself as a potential contender. From there, Araujo has proven to be a well-rounded fighter with a clear ceiling. If she can separate herself as the faster striker, she is more than willing to lean on that and coast to a win, but any sort of athletic parity turns into a much more even fight, often including Araujo getting outwrestled. In a fight between two women who usually rely on their athleticism, Silva gets the nod as the quicker athlete, but there is a risk she can run herself into some trouble without her usual margin of error. The pick is Silva via decision.

Jump To »
Dolidze vs. Imavov
Carneiro vs. Dober
Brown vs. Salikhov
Silva vs. Araujo
Khizriev vs. Muradov
Urbina vs. Radtke
The Prelims