Ketlen Vieira is currently undefeated at 10-0 competing in the UFC’s bantamweight division. She fights out of Nova Uniao in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil under Marcinho Pontes; the same fight camp as former UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo. Vieira holds a black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo and has won multiple championships in wrestling with a gold in 2009 and a bronze in 2010. Two fights into her professional career, Vieira won the women’s bantamweight championship for Mr. Cage. When she was signed to the UFC in 2016, she made her debut against veteran Kelly Faszholz and won via decision.
A post shared by Ketlen "Fenomeno" Vieira – UFC (@ketlenvieiraufc) on Dec 11, 2019 at 3:35pm PST
Leading up to her fight against Cat Zingano, Ketlen Vieira stated in an interview with MMA Fighting that she intended to ask for a title shot if she got the victory. Of course, her title shot didn’t come to fruition. But her struggles with knee injuries have slowed her progression to the UFC belt. She was forced her to pull out of the São Paulo card against Tonya Evinger and had surgery on her knee. Vieira has spent the past year trying to rebound and climb back into the bantamweight title picture.
Viera tends to not be afraid to stand with fighters and seeks the right opportunity to close the distance and press with her grappling. A lot of her clinch work, takedowns, and groundwork is a signature of her performances. Vieira has highlight reels full of judo throws and wrestling maneuvers. She was very prone to getting finishes in her time-fighting in smaller MMA promotions. In the UFC, Viera has only gotten one finish when she secured a victory against Sara McMann by arm-triangle choke. She has decisions wins against Faszholz, Zingano, and Ashley Evans-Smith.
A post shared by Ketlen "Fenomeno" Vieira – UFC (@ketlenvieiraufc) on Nov 18, 2019 at 2:04am PST
Her opponent for UFC 245 this Saturday is #10 ranked bantamweight, Irene Aldana. Fighting out of Guadalajara, Aldana is coming off a decision win against Vanessa Melo and is well-known for being technically proficient with her hands. Stylistically, fans should expect a grinding fight that will go the distance but the sport of MMA has shown many times that can be unpredictable. A victory for the #2 ranked bantamweight Vieira could put her into the next title contender spot that she’s been gunning for since her fight with Zingano. Either way, it’s an interesting style match-up.
A post shared by Ketlen "Fenomeno" Vieira – UFC (@ketlenvieiraufc) on Oct 11, 2019 at 3:26am PDT
UFC 245 will be in Las Vegas on Saturday, December 14th. The preliminary fights for the event will begin at 7 pm central on ESPN2 while the main card for the event will begin at 9 pm central on Pay-per-view. the first set of prelims will be featured on ESPN+ and begin at 5:15 pm.
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