UFC Fight Night 217's Ketlen Vieira not thinking about title shot: 'Nothing was told to me'
LAS VEGAS – Ketlen Vieira doesn’t necessarily see title implications for her bout at UFC Fight Night 217.
Vieira (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on Raquel Pennington (14-9 MMA, 11-5 UFC) on Saturday’s main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
Reigning bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes doesn’t have an opponent right now, but Vieira says the UFC didn’t mention anything about her fight being a title eliminator.
“Nothing was told to me, so I don’t even think about it,” Vieira told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “A few years ago when I had four victories, a lot of talk was about that. Maybe I have a chance to fight for the belt. That was not good for me. So my mind right now, Raquel has the belt, and I’ve got to beat her. If I don’t beat her, I’m not gonna fight for the belt.”
Pennington, on the other hand, does expect to earn another crack at the belt with a win. Going up against a former title challenger, Vieira isn’t taking Pennington lightly at all.
“Raquel is very, very tough,” Vieira said. “She has a lot of experience, and that makes her even tougher. There’s nothing I can bring to the cage that she hasn’t faced before, and she even fought for the title. So I’ve got to be 100 percent focused for this fight, I’ve got to bring my 100 percent for this fight, and that’s my plan. I know how tough she is.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.