5 Defining Moments: Ariane Lipski

Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight contender Ariane Lipski needs to be on the radar of fight fans as a fighter stealthily advancing her cause. Her resume to date has been reverence-inducing, even when it withstood turbulent surges particularly when she was on a two-fight TKO losing skid against Antonina Shevchenko and Montana De La Rosa. After a brief period of scrapping and grappling for eminence in the subsequent fights, “Queen of Violence” has anchored and planted herself in the divisional topography with a three-fight win streak in 2023. In her next Octagon outing, she takes on Karine Silva on April 27 at UFC on ESPN 55. Ahead of that clash, we take a look at five defining moments of her career that have shaped her journey.

Breakthrough Blueprint

Lipski turned professional in 2013, but her initial record could’ve been sustenance for despondency. Following her debut, she went on a 2-3 run and didn’t meet the standard we associate now with her. Yet, she persisted and went on to compile a nine-fight win streak, which remains her best to date. She started off with a quick TKO victory over Geisyele Nascimento at Striker's House Cup 50 in mere 35 seconds of the first round. Under the same banner, she went on to rattle off two more victories over Marta Souza and Paula Vieira da Silva. Having complied a strong firm run, she went on to compete in KSW, the premier MMA organization in Poland.

The Golden Induction

Having compiled a 2-0 record under the KSW banner, Lipski was handed her maiden championship opportunity against future fellow UFC competitor Diana Belbita. They waged war for the vacant flyweight throne in front of 57,776 fans in attendance at the PGE Narodowy colosseum in Warsaw, Poland, for KSW 39. The event also holds the fifth spot on the list of MMA attendance records. From the opening frame, Lipski proved to be the busier fighter, pressuring Belbita with her offensive onslaught. She staggered her opponent with punches multiple times before taking the fight to the ground. From mount, she rained down thunderous strikes, but Belbita managed to reverse the position. However, that would mark the beginning of the end for her as Lipski, from the bottom, clamped on to an armbar, clocking the submission at the 4:52 mark of the first round.

Vigilance in Protecting Her Throne

Having won the flyweight strap against Belbita, Lipski went on to defend her throne twice. She first took on the ever-dangerous Mariana Morais at KSW 40. It took her just under a minute to secure the victory with a rear-naked choke submission. Following that, she took on Silvana Gomez Juarez at KSW 42. She won that fight by unanimous decision. The commendable reign set the stage for her to sign with the UFC.

Top Submission Honor etched in UFC Memory Lane

In her second fight under the UFC banner, Lipski took on Luana Carolina and wasted no time in unleashing the “Queen of Violence.” She blitzed her opponent with a barrage of strikes and kept the pressure inviting exchanges against the fence. During one of those exchanges, she managed to drop her opponent with a punch to the body shot. Following that, she was entangled in a sequence where Carolina tried to grab a leg lock. The position paved the way for Lipski to bend Carolina’s knee and force the quick tap, which went on to be recognized as the 2020 “Submission of the Year.”

Queen Takes King

In her last Octagon assignment, the 30-year-old took on Casey O'Neill and showcased the progress she has been achieving gradually. Right out of the gate, she pressured O’Neill with her striking pressure and explosive approach. She dominated the first round and maintained the pressure in the second. During one sequence she wobbled and dropped O’Neil, doing her best to pound out the finish. Lipski then transitioned to take her opponent’s back and sunk in a rear-naked choke. While the grip looked tight, she found a better opening from there, eventually scoring the win with an armbar at the 1:18 mark of the second round.