The UFC’s May 21, 2022 Fight Night show has a women’s bantamweight main event lined up.
First reported by Ariel Helwani, former bantamweight champ Holly Holm is expected to top the card against rising contender Ketlen Vieira of Brazil. Vieira would subsequently confirm the booking on social media.
Holm (14-5) struggled to make it to the cage in 2021. Now 40, “The Preacher’s Daughter” last competed in October 2020, when she defeated Irene Aldana in another main event, at UFC on ESPN 16. The victory left her with a modest two-fight win streak, with Holm having won a unanimous decision against Raquel Pennington earlier that year.
2021 was simply not to be for Holm, however. She was expected to face Julianna Peña in May, only to be forced out due to illness. A featherweight fight was then lined up for October, against Norma Dumont, but Holm again had to withdraw, this time the result of a knee injury.
With luck, there will be no more speed bumps along the road to Holly Holm’s return.
Ketlen Viera split a pair of fights in 2021 — but her most recent bout, in November, resulted in the biggest win of her career. That saw Vieira earn a unanimous decision against former UFC and Strikeforce bantamweight champ Miesha Tate. The Brazilian will look to defeat two champs in a row when she goes up against Holm in May.
The UFC’s May 21, 2022 Fight Night event does not yet have a venue, location, or broadcast plan officially announced. A featherweight match-up between Felipe Colares and Chase Hooper has also been reported for the card.
