Former LFA women’s bantamweight champ Jacqueline Cavalcanti faced off against longtime contender Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday.
Going down at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, the 135lb showdown saw Cavalcanti undefeated in the UFC, having won her first five fights in the promotion. Vieira however had been trading wins and losses since 2022 and entered off a loss to Norma Dumont.
Vieira and Cavalcanti traded at a brisk pace early, Cavalcanti mixing in a low kick, though little was landed by either lady. Vieira targeted the body with a jab and went upstairs to follow it, but hadn’t quite figured out her range any more than Cavalcanti had.
Cavalcanti held center as the round went on, Vieira circling, the pair still relatively in tight. Cavalcanti’s striking appeared just a little tighter, a little more varied as she mixed in low kicks, and kicks to the body. Vieira did threaten to catch one of those, but wouldn’t able to, and Cavalcanti would lead the dance right to the horn, things picking up in the final 30 seconds of the opening frame.
Vieira tied the action up along the fence early in round two, looking for a change of pace. She had a high-crotch single and would eventually land the takedown, though not without effort. From there, she worked from inside Cavalcanti’s guard, landing a left hand, then a right. Vieira was active enough on top and Cavalcanti intermittently closed her guard, leading to lots of control time for Ketlen Vieira. She’d finish out the round right there, quite clearly coming out on top in the second.
Round three found Cavalcanti looking for a way inside, throwing single strikes, feints, and the odd low kick. Yet as they circled, Cavalcanti looked hesitant to commit to her attacks, and her corner had told her between rounds, despite having almost certainly lost the second stanza, not to go crazy in the third. And so Cavalcanti targeted the body, fired the odd kick, but wasn’t doing much to put her stamp on the round. A puzzling approach, with Cavalcanti finally showing a bit more urgency as the final 90 seconds arrived.
With things close early in the frame, Viera, perhaps feeling pressure at long last, quickly circled out of harm’s way, raising her arms like a matador. Cavalcanti continued to pursue her, but couldn’t find the finish despite turning up the heat late, instead leaving her fate in the hands of the judges.
The hesitancy cost Cavalcanti in the end, with Ketlen Vieira serving up the first loss of her UFC run, via unanimous decision.
Official Result: Ketlen Vieira def. Jacqueline Cavalcanti by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
