5 Things You Might Not Know About Ariane Lipski

While she may never reach the astronomical heights many once forecasted for her, Ariane Lipski appears to have settled in as a steady and occasionally spectacular contributor for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The “Queen of Violence” will return to the cage for the second time in less than four months when she squares off with the once-beaten Melissa Gatto in a UFC on ESPN 48 women’s flyweight showcase this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Lipski has won two of her past three bouts. The 29-year-old last appeared at UFC Fight Night 221, where she outpointed J.J. Aldrich to a three-round unanimous decision in their March 11 pairing.

As Lipski sets her sights on Gatto and their upcoming clash at 125 pounds, here are five things you might not know about her:

1. Adversity emboldened her.

Lipski made her professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 19 when she took a unanimous decision from Daiana Torquato at a Nitrix Champion Fight show on Nov. 3, 2013. She went on to lose three of her next four bouts before turning the corner and establishing herself as one of Brazil’s top prospects.

2. Versatility helps her cause.

The Curitiba, Brazil, native has fought in three different weight classes: strawweight, flyweight and bantamweight. However, Lipski has achieved her greatest success at 125 pounds.

3. Big crowds do not faze her.

Lipski laid claim to the vacant Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki women’s flyweight championship at KSW 39, where she dismissed Diane Belbita with a first-round armbar in front of more than 50,000 fans at the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland. She retained the title on two subsequent occasions—she submitted Mariana Morais and decisioned Silvana Gomez Juarez—before signing with the UFC.

4. She surrounds herself with the right people.

The 5-foot-6 Renato Rasta protégé has operated out of Kings MMA and American Top Team, which offered her access to state-of-the-art facilities and world-class coaching. Among those with whom Lipski has trained extensively: former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Amanda Nunes, who retired following her five-round unanimous decision over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June.

5. Her fights have a don’t-blink quality to them.

Seven of Lipski’s 23 career fights have ended in 90 seconds or less. They include her 20-second technical knockout of Jaquelline Santana at Gladiator Combat Fight 7 on Sept. 6, 2014, her 35-second TKO of Geisyele Nascimento at Striker’s House Cup 50 on June 20, 2015 and her 58-second rear-naked choke submission of the aforementioned Morais at KSW 40 on Oct. 22, 2017.