Ketlen Vieira added another significant feather to her cap on Saturday night.
Some six months after besting Miesha Tate, Vieira defeated another former champion, taking a hard-fought — and somewhat contentious — split decision triumph against Holly Holm in the UFC Fight Night 206 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Vieira was still competing on the regional circuit when Holm became a massive star by knocking out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in November 2015.
“As I was growing up and watching MMA in Manaus, Amazonas, I still had dreams of coming to the UFC, and I watched her shock the world and beat Ronda Rousey,” Vieira said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.