UFC Cuts Ties With Ranked Veteran And Fans Are Baffled
The UFC dropped six fighters from the roster on July 10 and one of them was 38-year-old Brazilian veteran, and No-10-ranked women's flyweight, Viviane Araujo.
While some of the other fighters who were cut weren't surprising, fans expressed disbelief when news of Araujo's separation from the company spread.
UFC Roster Watch and UFC Roster Tracker reported the information on X, and fans commented on both posts with similar sentiments.
Here's some of the comments from fans.
'That's a weird one, yea she's old but still decent. Just fraud checked Karine so.'
'Wow.'
'I get she's 38 and all, but she isn't even on a losing streak or anything like that. Weird to cut her like that.'
'They really burn you for having a s### performance, Tracy [Cortez] didn't look any better also I think they just cutting anyone who doesn't have any chance of being a champion one day.'
Araujo's career record is 13-7. She lost her last fight via unanimous decision against Cortez at UFC 317 on June 28. Prior to that lost, Araujo pulled out an upset win over Karine Silva, despite coming in as a plus-240 underdog.
Araujo established herself as a tough out in the women's flyweight division going the distance with Natalia Silva, Amanda Ribas, Alexa Grasso and Katlyn Cerminara, but falling short in each fight.
Over her six-year UFC career, Araujo's biggest wins came over Alexis Davis, Roxanne Modaferri, Andrea Lee, Jennifer Maia and Silva. The one commenter is likely on to something as it pertains to Araujo's age and the unlikelihood of her challenging for a title.
The UFC likely doesn't see her as a legit title contender and because she's close to 40–and not one for finishes–the powers that be likely found her expendable.
Still, that doesn't make it sit right with everyone. Araujo's release feels more like a quiet rebalancing of the books than a cut based on merit. She wasn't streaking toward gold, sure—but she also wasn't getting blown out.
Her recent loss to Cortez was one of those low-output, tactical chess matches, and it's not like Cortez ran away with it. And before that? Araujo flipped the script against Silva in a fight most expected her to lose.
When a veteran wins as an underdog and gets released a month later, you have to ask: do gatekeepers have any security even when they win?
This wasn't a fighter on a four-fight skid or someone getting stopped every time out. In fact, she's never been stopped in her UFC career.
But the UFC has been blunt about what they value lately: marketability, momentum and ceiling. Araujo doesn't check those boxes at this stage, even if she remains a capable, game opponent. So she's gone.
In the end, it feels like another reminder that in today's UFC, being solid just isn't good enough. You have to be ascending—or exciting enough to offset the plateau. Derrick Lewis who just defeated a talented up-and-comer in the UFC Nashville main event is proof.
Araujo doesn't finish opponents or entertain like Lewis, so a ranked fighter who can actually push young fighters is off the roster. It's a cold MMA world out there.
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