UFC: ‘Queen of Violence’ Ariane Lipski plans on taking Valentina Shevchenko’s flyweight title within a year
- Nicknamed the ‘Queen of Violence’, former KSW champion went viral with a leg lock submission on UFC Fight Island
- ‘One year is our goal and we are preparing everything for it,’ says Lipski, who faces champion’s elder sister Antonina at UFC 255
Ariane Lipski may be fighting Antonina Shevchenko at UFC 255 on Fight Island, but the “Queen of Violence” is letting it be known she’s coming for the belt – and that most likely means beating her next opponent’s legendary sister.
Flyweight champ Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko (19-3) is in the co-main event on next month’s pay-per-view card against Jennifer Maia (18-6-1). The Kyrgyzstani has swept all before her in the division, and is expected to carry on in the same vein of dominance against the Brazilian.
But Maia’s compatriot Lipski (13-5) knows what it takes to do the same, and how to win a five-round fight. A champion in Polish promotion KSW by the age of 23, she is laser-focused on winning the title in 2021.
“One year. We are working hard every day,” Lipski told SCMP MMA. “We’re very focused on our goal. One year is our goal and we are preparing everything for it.”
Her nickname is a pretty potent one for a 26-year-old who wouldn’t look out of place at a beauty pageant. But anyone who saw her viral kneebar submission finish of Luana Carolina (6-2) in just 88 seconds on UFC Fight Island in July will quickly recognise how she earned the moniker.
Arriving in the UFC in January 2019, Lipski did not have an ideal start. She lost her first two fights, dropping unanimous decisions against Joanne Calderwood and Molly McCann. She’s since turned things around, putting together a two-fight win streak.
