‘Matured’ Ketlen Vieira betting on grappling to beat Holly Holm
Ketlen Vieira feels ready to take on former champion Holly Holm at UFC Vegas 55’s main event.
It will be a battle of styles at UFC Vegas 55’s main event. On one side, rising contender and jiu-jitsu black belt Ketlen Vieira wants to establish herself as a viable challenger to the women’s bantamweight title, but first she needs to defeat former champion and dangerous striker Holly Holm.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Vieira was not afraid to reveal her gameplan, which should not come as a surprise to her opponent or any MMA fan. Predictably, Ketlen intends to neutralize Holm’s dangerous striking by taking Holly down and making use of her strongest asset, her Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“I’m more relaxed now,” Vieira said. “To face an athlete like Holm, it makes me a little nervous, but I’m focused and really prepared for this fight. This fight is a classic clash of styles. She’s a really good striker, both at boxing and kickboxing. Just like I’m really good at what I do. I’ll try to implement my strategy in the best way possible. I always say that getting where she has gotten is what motivates me. She’s a former champion, but if I do what we practiced, if I listen to Andre (Pederneiras, Nova Uniao’s head coach), we’ll have a great chance of getting this win.
“I’m more matured now,” Vieira said. “I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m focused on her (Holm) and I don’t want to think about what comes next. There will be no belt if I don’t beat her first. I’m focused on her and then we’ll think about what’s next. You can expect an aggressive Ketlen, very driven, who wants to make her fans proud.”
In her last outing, Vieira (12-2) defeated another former champion in Miesha Tate, back in November 2021, by unanimous decision. The victory made the 30-year-old recover from a unanimous decision defeat to Yana Kunitskaya, in February of the same year.
Now, Vieira is expected to take on Holm at UFC Vegas 55’s main event, on May 21. The card is scheduled to take place at the UFC Apex, in Las Vegas, Nevada.