UFC Vegas 91 | Exclusive: “My self-confidence has grown enormously since last year” – Ariane Lipski

Lipski is from Curitiba, Brazil, but now trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. When asked whether she had had good preparation and had a good flight, she answered clearly.

“The flight was good, but I have been living in Florida since 2020 so I didn’t have to come from Brazil. We are focusing on the latest techniques. Of course also losing weight before the weigh-in and then we are ready to go at it on Saturday.”

Lipski came into the UFC with a lot of hype as a KSW champion, but struggled to live up to the high expectations. She has now won three matches in a row and rose up the rankings after her last victory against Casey O’Neill. Lipski has a clear explanation for it.

“I wasn’t physically or mentally ready to fight in the UFC yet. I rebuilt everything. I trained and lived in Brazil, but I needed to surround myself with better training partners to grow myself. However, that was not the solution as I could not find focus due to all the different clues.”

Lipski then returned to Brazil under coach and husband Renato Silva and a separate BJJ coach and training partner, they now form a strong team.

“I have found that talking and learning techniques in particular is better with a small, close-knit team. What really made the difference in my opinion is that I dedicated my life to God. It gives me a lot of self-confidence in everything I do and everyone saw that in my last three fights last year.”

Lipski will face Karine Silva. Lipski is looking forward to the fight and said she had actually been offered the fight before.

“The UFC approached me to fill in for Lauren Murphy against Silva at UFC 299. However, I was on vacation at the time and had no way to take on that fight with such a short preparation time. Ultimately it was April 27 in the UFC APEX. Not a problem for me. I think Silva is a good fighter. I’ve seen all her fights, but I think I’ve fought the better opponents. I have trained very hard in all facets of the game and am ready for Saturday.”

Before signing with the UFC, Lipski fought at KSW and was at the famous Coliseum event where there were more than 57,000 people in the crowd. Lipski says she enjoys fighting in front of a big crowd, but she also appreciates the cozy UFC APEX.

“I like to fight in front of a big audience. It is of course motivating to hear from many people. The APEX, on the other hand, is very quiet, but that also has its advantages. I can now hear my corner’s instructions perfectly. As I said, I can focus very well both with and without an audience, so for me there is not really a big difference.”

There is no preview show for this event. The broadcast of the prelims starts on Saturday evening, April 27 at 11:00 PM on discovery+.

At 1 a.m. it’s time for the main card with expert commentary from Sander Schrik and Marloes Coenen, which can also be seen on discovery+.