“I’m going into this fight determined to not let it go to the hands of the judges,” Araujo said. “I come to knock her out, or even to take her down and submit her. But I’m also going to show my aggressiveness for the three rounds, if necessary, so I’ll take this fight to my strengths and come out with the victory.”
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A matchup that will test both fighters in unique ways, a win over the second-ranked contender could propel Araujo into the spotlight, placing her on the radar of the entire flyweight division. And for Chookagian, a rematch against Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title is unlikely without a win on Saturday.
Despite a pandemic that has forced nearly every fighter on the UFC roster to get creative with their training, Araujo was able to capitalize on a high-volume camp with a heavy focus on evolving her game — something she slowly builds on with each fight.
“I’m feeling very good. We did this whole training camp in Brazil, and me and my team are 100% into it to get this victory back to Brazil,” she said. “Each fight, I’m showing I’m a more well-rounded fighter, a more complete fighter. That’s what we’ve been working on in the gym. We have a great wrestling coach, a great team, so we keep evolving each time I step in the Octagon.”
