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LAS VEGAS—On Saturday, top women's flyweight contenders Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo clash in a headliner at the UFC Apex that will have a significant impact on the UFC title picture at 125 pounds.
Exactly how significant remains to be seen.
Mexico's Grasso (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) enters the UFC Fight Night 212 contest sitting in the No. 5 position in the promotion's official women's flyweight rankings. Meanwhile, Brazil's Araujo (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) falls just behind at No. 6.
The winner of the five-round affair will certainly find themselves in an enviable position in the division, but they'll also likely need to wait until next week's UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi to know what they've earned as a reward for victory. That pay-per-view event features another key matchup between No. 1 Katlyn Chookagian and No. 7 Manon Fiorot, which will also have a big impact on what comes next for reigning champ Valentina Shevchenko.
"Honestly, I don't know (what's next), because there's another important fight," Grasso said. "The next weekend, it's Fiorot vs. Chookagian, so I think we're kind of the semifinals. We are the four. The champion is going to look at the one who does the best."
