Following a revealing loss to Jasmine Jasudavicius in her most recent UFC appearance, Ariane da Silva recognized a significant need for training adjustments before her upcoming fight against Wang Cong at UFC 316 in Newark.
To address the exposed weaknesses in her game, Da Silva decided to leave Florida for three weeks. She traveled to Arizona to train intensively in wrestling and no-gi jiu-jitsu with coach Angel Cejudo, brother of former UFC champion Henry Cejudo. Da Silva`s schedule during this period consisted almost exclusively of grappling, with occasional sessions alongside Henry and Tracy Cortez.
Da Silva reflected on her training journey, noting past difficulties aligning schedules with wrestling partners. While she initially viewed struggles in the Karine Silva fight as potentially mental, the subsequent loss to Jasmine Jasudavicius provided a clear technical reality check. She realized her body wasn`t reacting correctly or executing the necessary techniques to defend takedowns effectively.
Breaking a three-fight winning streak with consecutive losses to Karine Silva and Jasmine Jasudavicius underscored the necessity for this focused training intervention for the former KSW flyweight champion.
“We saw I needed focused training,” Da Silva stated. Understanding her learning process thrives on repetition, she explained, “I have to train a lot, repeat movements many times so my body reacts correctly in the fight. That`s exactly what we did with this wrestling crash course, even before knowing my next opponent.”
Originally expecting to face Miranda Maverick, Da Silva will now compete against Chinese prospect Wang Cong. Cong recently bounced back from an upset loss to Gabriella Fernandes with a decision victory over Bruna Brasil.
“Given the flaws I`ve shown in recent fights, I expect she might try a grappling approach,” Da Silva commented regarding her new opponent. “So, I trained everything as hard as possible to ensure my body reacts correctly and has the right answer for whatever the fight presents.”
Despite coming off two consecutive losses in the UFC, Da Silva maintains her confidence. She believes Wang Cong will also be confident, regardless of Wang`s recent performances. “Every fighter is confident,” Da Silva asserted. “I`m coming off two losses and still feel confident. I focus on analyzing her technically. It will be a very good fight because we are both strikers.”
“She`s very technical standing and fights smart,” she added. “I believe this fight will primarily stay on the feet, making it exciting for fans. It`s a chance for me to showcase my evolution, but more importantly, to have fun. Fighting a striker allows me to display my technique and my full striking arsenal.”
