Polyana Viana is hoping her impressive KO leads to title run

On Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 214, Viana completely destroyed Jinh Yu Frey with a devastating onslaught of punches that resulted in a knockout victory for Viana in just 47 seconds.

With this victory, Viana (13-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) overcame a May loss to Tabatha Ricci by unanimous decision, which was her only other fight of 2022. It was also her first UFC knockout victory after eight fights. What’s more, Viana was awarded the $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

“I’m from jiu-jitsu, so most of my fights are submissions, which I really like,” Viana said.

“This is my first knockout (in the UFC). Of course, it ranks up there.”

She added, “We came for the knockout. I didn’t expect it to come that fast, but we came for the knockout.”

“This really got in my way. It was the hardest time I’ve ever had to drop weight,” Viana said.

“… I cried in the bathtub. I thanked my team for being around me. They wouldn’t have ever let me give up.

“It’s not the responsibility of the athlete to win per se, but it is the responsibility of the athlete to make weight.”

Viana has stated that she plans to compete four times next year in order to make a serious run at the 115-pound championship.