Salt Lake City – UFC bantamweight Ketlen Vieira feels like she’s been on the cusp of a title shot, but it just hasn’t happened, she’ll get an opportunity to make her case against Kayla Harrison at UFC 307 on Saturday night.
“I think I’ve been on the cusp of this for such a long time, and I’ve been in this position for quite some time. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity just never happened,” Vieira told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator on Wednesday.
“I fought Sara (McMann) coming off of three wins and I thought well that and I thought (I) was supposed, after this, I’m fighting for a title. I didn’t get that.”
Vieira (14-3) has a list of big names she’s beaten in the UFC and still has yet to earn a title shot. She holds victories over McMann, Cat Zingano, former champions Miesha Tate and Holly Holm, and Pannie Kianzad.
Yet that hasn’t been enough for the promotion to give her a shot at gold.
“Fought Cat Zingano (who beat) Amanda Nunes. I thought well this is the one. This is for a title shot. It never happened, again. It’s been since 2018 that I’ve been at this, just battling for it, and I’ve believe everything happens for a reason,” she said.
“There’s not my time. It’s God’s time, and things are happening because they need to happen.”
At UFC 307 she gets Harrison who, although only on her second fight with the promotion, seems to be on the fast track to a title shot.
“As far as Kayla, listen, it carries a good name in Judo. I do believe that she hasn’t been proven in MMA. A lot of people tend to confuse things (a little bit) and I think she has not proven herself,” she said.
“She’s had one fight right now. I feel really prepared about this and I think this is the time. This is the fight that will take me to the title shot.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Ketlen Vieira above. She takes on Kayla Harrison at UFC 307 on Saturday night.
