Two of the most promising flyweights in the UFC will clash on September 9, 2023, when Casey O’Neill takes on Viviane Araujo. The fight will take place at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia, and will be televised on ESPN+ PPV.
Viviane Araujo vs. Casey O’Neill booked for UFC 293 in Australia (@guicruzzz, @damonmartin) https://t.co/uZP8XUDmx5 pic.twitter.com/6R4ATCMizy
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 9, 2023
This fight is a highly anticipated matchup between two of the most exciting fighters in the UFC’s flyweight division. It is a fight that could determine the next challenger for the UFC flyweight title in the near future. Let’s take a look at this flyweight matchup.
Casey O’Neill looks to rebound after first loss
Casey O’Neill received the first loss of her professional career against former title challenger Jennifer Maia at UFC 286 back in March. She is now looking to prove that she is still one of the top prospects in the flyweight division when she makes her return to her home country of Australia for the first time since 2020.
O’Neill is the No. 12-ranked flyweight in the UFC. She is an Australian fighter with a record of 9-1. She is a very aggressive striker with a lot of power. She is also a very good grappler and prefers to take the fight to the mat where she can utilize her ground-and-pound and submission skills to get the job done.
It will be interesting when the fight does hit the mat seeing as her counterpart Araujo is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and is very well-versed there in her own right.
Viviane Araujo aims to prove she’s still one of the best
Viviane Araujo is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in her professional career. Her losses in the UFC are only against elite top-10 competition like the current flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, former title challengers Katlyn Chookagian and Jessica Eye, and No. 9 ranked Amanda Ribas.
She has proven that she can hang in there with the best in the flyweight division and is looking to spoil the homecoming party of Casey O’Neill when they take flight to Sydney, Australia. Araujo has exceptional footwork, speed, and power on the feet which will make it very difficult for O’Neill to win this fight on the feet.
She also is a very good grappler with an extensive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background so if O’Neill wants to take it there she is also very dangerous in that spot as well.
Casey O’Neill vs. Viviane Araujo Early Prediction
Casey O’Neill showed some chink in her armor in her fight against Jennifer Maia. If O’Neill can’t land takedowns and get top control to dominate the fight, she’s at a distinct disadvantage against a good striker like Viviane Araujo.
Araujo will make her work for those takedowns and will not accept the bottom position but her takedown defense has failed her time and time again. I expect Araujo to look very good on the feet until O’Neill is able to land the takedowns and dominate on the mat to potentially finish Araujo late or get the unanimous decision victory.
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