5 most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira
The UFC’s latest Fight Night event was not all that highly-anticipated, probably because its main event didn’t sound all that explosive on paper – and it turned out those fears were correct.
UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira had a headliner that didn’t really deliver the goods, but thankfully, there were plenty of other moments up and down this card that made it watchable.
The preliminary portion of the show was the strongest, with five of the six fights ending in finishes. Unfortunately, the main card slowed things down a little.
Regardless, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira.
#5. Santiago Ponzinibbio and Michel Pereira deliver the goods just as the UFC hoped
Last night’s co-headliner between welterweight action heroes Santiago Ponzinibbio and Michel Pereira may not have delivered a finish, but it certainly lived up to the hype, and ended up deservedly winning the 'Fight of the Night' award.
Every round felt like it was packed full of action, with Pereira taking the fight to ‘Gente Boa’ in the first round, stunning him with a right hand at one point, before Ponzinibbio came roaring back with some heavy shots of his own in the second.
Despite the pressure that the Argentine put on, though, it always felt like Pereira was slightly one step ahead. He landed the majority of the heavier shots, hurt Ponzinibbio by going to the body on a number of occasions, and in the end, he edged out a decision by landing 110 of the 216 strikes he threw.
What made this one so interesting was that ‘Demolidor’ largely chose to eschew the flashy, wild attacks that made him a semi-star in his early UFC days, and while it made for a less crazy fight, he looked far more effective overall.
The win should move Pereira up into the top fifteen at welterweight, but to be fair, Ponzinibbio probably won’t lose a lot from the defeat thanks to the quality of the fight. Overall, this clash made the main card worth watching.