Eventually, though, Viana and her team arrived in Las Vegas, and she was able to tip the scales under the strawweight limit during official weigh-ins.
“I kept focused,” Viana told UFC.com. “Despite all the problems, we went to a hotel, and I was training there. We looked for a gym and I kept training.”
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Before the complications, Viana was already on-edge heading into fight week.
The 30-year-old is eager to bounce back from a disappointing decision loss to Tabatha Ricci in May 2022, and she hopes an adjusted mindset will help her find a path to victory.
“Everyone knows we should never leave it in the hands of the judges, but I’ve also learned that a lot of people fight (just) to get the win, and they know all the rules by heart,” Viana said. “I thought it was going to be a more exciting fight, that she’d come forward and that it’d be more fast-paced, which would have meant a win for me, but she kept stalling and you all saw what happened.”
Against Ricci, Viana struggled to scramble to her feet under her opponent’s control and eventually dropped a unanimous decision.
Viana also shared her frustrations about the referee refusing to stand them up after a prolonged period of what she saw as no action, but she knows that the onus is ultimately on her to initiate action.
“I’m going to play their game,” Viana said. “If they want to stall, we’ll stall. If they want to fight, we’ll fight.”
The Brazilian, whose UFC record is 3-3 since joining the roster in 2018, now sets her sights on Jinh Yu Frey – the former Invicta FC atomweight champion. Frey profiles as more of a striker, although she showed her full skill set in her five trips to the Octagon so far.
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After watching her fights, Viana complimented Frey’s technical abilities on the feet but, ultimately, she is just hoping she finds an opponent as eager to throw down as she is.
“I hope she comes to fight,” Viana said. “I’ve seen some of her fights. She doesn’t seem the type of fighter who likes to stall. From the fights I’ve seen, I think her Muay Thai is something that stands out. She also likes to grapple.”
Despite all the fight week chaos, Viana is locked in on getting back into the winner’s circle. She feels confident in her abilities and believes her superiority isn’t only limited to her grappling. Against Frey, she is intrigued to find the nuances in breaking down a southpaw.
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When Viana is asked what kind of performance she would be proud of walking out of the Octagon on November 5, she almost scoffs at the idea of taking solace in anything but getting her hand raised.
“I don’t know how to answer this question,” she said. “I want a good win.”
