For Victory FC 49's Valdir Araujo, always looking for finish isn't always good thing

Valdir Araujo

Valdir Araujo wanted badly to make up for an unsuccessful turn on “The Ultimate Fighter 21” and wound up falling further into the hole.

Getting back into the cage Friday at the UFC Fight Pass-streamed Victory FC 49, he’s at a crossroads. The Blackzilians-based fighter needs to decide whether chasing redemption with fists is a good idea for his career.

“That’s one of my problems – I always look for the finish,” Araujo (15-6), who meets the surging Dakota Cochrane (23-9) in the event’s headliner at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb., told MMAjunkie. “I don’t think I’ll change that. But I should be more patient.”

Araujo, 31, had made it past the first round of fights in the “TUF 21” reality-show tournament, submitting American Top Team’s Steve Carl. But a grinding decision loss to Nathan Coy sent him packing, and when the show concluded, he did not get a second chance with the industry leader.

Araujo said he hurt himself against Carl and fought Coy with an injury that necessitated surgery immediately after the bout. Unfortunately, those circumstances were ultimately secondary to his loss.

In hopes of winning another look, Araujo accepted a fight with Alex Morono, then a relatively unknown prospect and veteran with the Legacy FC promotion. After success in the first two rounds, Araujo got caught with a pair of rights that badly staggered him.

AXS TV commentator and UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich nearly yelled for Araujo to separate from Morono and clear his head, but Araujo continued to swing. It wasn’t long before he caught another right hand that turned his lights out.

“In the third round, my intent was to finish my opponent,” he said. “I could have attempted to control my opponent and win the decision.”

But instead, he gambled.

Araujo got back in the win column this past November with a first-round submission over Victor Moreno in the Gladiator MMA promotion. His bout with Cochrane could present another reprieve from the dangerous of engaging in a wild brawl, as he believes his grappling represents a bankable advantage.

“I think his weakness is on the ground,” he said. “It’s my differential – my strong suit. It will be a technical fight on the feet, where I’ll be seeking the right moment to take it to the ground.

“I aim to get top control and go for submissions.”

Forcing an opponent to tap might not be as flashy on Araujo’s highlight reel, but if he strings enough of them together, it’s undoubtedly a way to win his way back to the UFC. And with Victory FC 49 streamed on UFC Fight Pass, the Brazilian is poised to get the industry leader’s attention again.

“Losses teach us the greatest lessons in fighting,” Araujo said. “That’s when we learn, when we see what works and what doesn’t work. Each loss was a lesson. Some of them were due to being overconfident, starting too slowly, or not having the best diet. Every loss has a reason.

“Of course, those are not excuses – simply factors. We take those lessons with us through life, as we try to learn every facet of the game.”

For more on Victory FC 49, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.