The co-main event at UFC Vegas 19 sees Ketlen Vieira and Yana Kunitskaya once again paired up. The duo were first expected to fight last August, until Viera dropped out of the fight. Both ladies moved forward against different opponents — and both picked up wins.
Which means now is the perfect time to put the bout back together, which is exactly what the UFC did. Vieira, meanwhile, believes that “it’s a very good opportunity to show all my techniques, and my training with my team.”
Speaking at the UFC Veas 19 virtual media day this week, she noted that “it’s two different styles, like more standing, and more on the ground.” The game plan, said Vieira, is to take Kunitskaya down. And she expects her opponent to be working towards the opposite — to keep the fight standing.
The fight comes at an interesting time in the women’s bantamweight division. Double-champ Amanda Nunes is about to make her second consecutive featherweight title defense. She hasn’t fought at 135lbs in over a year. But Vieira is trying not to think about any of that.
“I’m prepared now, maintaining my focus on Yana,” said Viera. Mainly because in her first loss, against Irene Aldana in 2019, she felt she looked past the fight. “After that loss, I just think about my next fight, I don’t think about after that.”
That said, Vieira did give her prediction for the Nunes vs. Megan Anderson title fight next month.
“In my mind, I think Amanda will win,” said Vieira, pointing to Nunes’ technique as one reason. “I see the best way for her [to win] is to put Megan on the ground, and keep the fight there.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 19 virtual media day scrum with Ketlen Vieira above! The event takes place Saturday, February 20 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.
