UFC Vegas 55 Preview
The UFC is returning to the Apex in Las Vegas, NV for UFC Vegas 55 on Saturday May 21st. The main event will be a clash in the women’s bantamweight division between former champion Holly Holm and hopeful contender Ketlen Vieira.
Holm has won two straight fights since losing a title fight to Amanda Nunes in 2019 at UFC 239. She most recently defeated Irene Aldana by unanimous decision but that fight was in October of 2020. After a long layoff, the 40-year-old is looking to prove she is worthy of a fifth title fight in the UFC and that age is only a number.
“I pictured myself having kids doing the whole mom thing,” Holm told The Post over the phone on Wednesday. “Not that you can’t be a mom and fight. I just know, for me at the time, I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I want to be more involved as a mom, not be fighting anymore, going into training camps,” said Holm.
The New Mexico native went on to say, “And I really thought 40 might be closer to the end, but it’s not,” Holm says. “I still feel great, and I feel my last fight is a fight [in which] I showed I’m still evolving. And it’s exciting to me, so I don’t want to stop now.”
Since winning the bantamweight title in 2015, Holm has always been two consecutive wins away from challenging for a title or at least being mentioned in the title conversation, regardless of losses or losing streaks. She has key victories in her career over Ronda Rousey, Raquel Pennington (twice), Bethe Correia, and Megan Anderson. Sitting at number two in the rankings and on a winning streak, a win on Saturday would most definitely put Holm back in the title conversation.
Vieira is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former champion Miesha Tate in November. She is 2-2 in her last four fights and right now sits at number five in the rankings. A win over the #2 ranked fighter could cause chaos at the top of the bantamweight rankings.
The Brazilian burst on the bantamweight scene as an undefeated fighter who just defeated Sara McMann and Cat Zingano but suffered her first loss in devastating fashion to Irene Aldana at UFC 245. She has been inconsistent since then, but a win over Holm is how she can fully get back on track to being the title prospect she once was.
The 30-year-old knows how important a main event fight against Holm is for her career. “I admire her a lot,” Vieira said. “I used to watch her fights before I knew I wanted to fight in UFC. I watched her fight against Ronda when she shocked the world, and for me it’s a dream come true to fight another former champ that I admire so much. I have a lot of faith for myself.”
She went on to say, “I always dreamed about being a main event in the UFC, and now I have the opportunity to do it again with another elite athlete,” Vieira said. “It’s a dream come true for me.”
There have been talks of Vieira calling for a title shot with a win on Saturday, but she is not looking beyond Holly Holm. “I have to take it one step at a time,” Vieira said. “If I win against her I’m going to have to think about what’s next.”
The Rest of the Main Card:
Welterweight - #14 Santiago Panzinibbio vs Michel Pereira
Middleweight - Chili Njokuani vs Dusko Todorovic
Middleweight - Eryk Anders vs Junyong Park
Prelims on ESPN +:
Middleweight - Joseph Holmes vs Alan Amedovski
Heavyweight - Jailton Almeida vs Parker Porter
Lightweight - Jonathan Martinez vs Vince Morales
Featherweight - Chase Hooper vs Felipe Colares
Women’s Strawweight - Elise Reed vs Sam Hughes
