UFC fighter Ketlen Vieira is aiming to put her name in the running for the vacant bantamweight championship by beating Pannie Kianzad in the upcoming UFC London, drawing inspiration from her past in the ring and using lessons learned from previous losses.
Ketlen Vieira is eager for an opportunity to contest for the vacant UFC bantamweight championship, which she hopes to secure by defeating Pannie Kianzad at UFC London this Saturday. Vieira understands that she doesn’t need to rush things, a lesson that has been beneficial for her in the past. Vieira made her octagon debut in 2016, two years after her MMA debut in Brazil. Despite her lack of experience, she emerged as a force to be reckoned with, winning four back-to-back UFC matches against competitors like Cat Zingano and Sara McMann. She was even on the verge of landing a title shot against Amanda Nunes before she lost to Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington, moments when a championship seemed within her grasp.
As Vieira aims to regain her momentum, she is drawing inspiration from her UFC debut run. In a recent episode of the Trocação Franca podcast, she shared her experiences, “I was always tested ever since I entered the UFC. I was very inexperienced when I got to the UFC, I only had two years in MMA, and I was ranked and fighting Sara McMann and Cat Zingano one and a half year later. Things happened very prematurely in my life and my career.” Vieira expressed that her ground game was her strength when she first joined UFC but in the recent few matches against Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington, she has shown considerable improvement in her stand-up game.
Kianzad, Vieira’s next competitor, has lost only once to Pennington in her past six UFC appearances. She enters the UFC London after a break of 15 months from her victory over Lina Lansberg. Vieira respects Kianzad’s skills but remains optimistic about defeating her. Vieira has previously expressed her desire for multiple title shots in UFC, however, she is well aware of the importance of the bout against Kianzad, not letting her guard down or overlooking her opponent. She reiterates, “I beat two former champions and could just sit and wait for my turn, which was fair, I deserved it, but I don’t believe in shortcuts. I want to evolve, I want to test myself, and this fight with Pannie Kianzad is very important.”
As Vieira prepares for her fight against Kianzad, who has been finished only once in UFC, she is aware of the challenge she’s up against. She believes that she is at par with Kianzad’s preparation and skills, making the fight an interesting one to watch. She conveys, “My focus is to win round after round. I see two scenarios playing out: It’s either a three-round war, a tough fight, or it might end quickly, because we’re both coming for the win.” It’s a high stakes match where any mistake could prove costly for both athletes. Vieira aims to give a stellar performance, but in her words, “wins are what matters in the end. No one will remember how the fight went the next day.”