Araujo Pulls Upsets Bernardo With Vicious 3rd-Round KO

Despite coming in as a plus-282 underdog and a late replacement for Melissa Gatto, Viviane Araujo dominated Talita Bernardo in the opening bout of UFC 237. Her quickness and striking accuracy proved to be too much, and in the opening moments of the third round, she scorched Bernardo with a punch that put her out.

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That was a strong early candidate for a Performance of the Night bonus. Aside from a brief rally to close out the second round, this bout was mostly a masterclass from Araujo who looks to be here to stay after such an impressive debut performance on short notice.

I picked Bernardo because I thought she'd be able to initiate her ground game, but Araujo never allowed her to get anything going, and then turned out the lights in the third round. It's hard to make a more definitive statement in your promotional debut. The 32-year-old Brazilian displayed some high-level striking and the ability to get a takedown. I can't wait to see her again.