UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate
The UFC is back in its Las Vegas APEX this weekend for UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate.
This UFC Fight Night looks like a watchable card, even if it’s a little low on name value in comparison to some of the UFC’s recent events.
🚨 Top 10 BWs battle it out in November!
🇧🇷 @KetlenVieraUFC vs 🇺🇸 @MieshaTate
[ Saturday Nov 20 ] https://t.co/SMfDijFdwH
With a number of high-level contenders on offer – including a potential title eliminator in the main event – it’s a show that should definitely be worth checking out.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate.
#1. UFC bantamweight division: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate
If you rewind back to 2018, it seemed almost certain that Ketlen Vieira was on the fast track to a shot at the UFC bantamweight title.
‘Fenomeno’ debuted in the octagon in late 2016, and quickly reeled off four straight victories, including very impressive ones over former title challengers Sara McMann and Cat Zingano.
Sure, Vieira didn’t look like the best finisher, but her stifling ground game appeared to make her a tricky match for anyone that the UFC had to offer. Fans quickly began to discuss a possible fight with Amanda Nunes.
However, disaster then struck. Vieira suffered a severe knee injury that sidelined her for over a year. When she returned, she suffered a devastating knockout at the hands of Irene Aldana.
Since then, ‘Fenomeno’ has gone 1-1 in the UFC, beating Sijara Eubanks before falling to Yana Kunitskaya in a disappointing showing that saw her also miss weight.
Now ranked at No.7 in the division, a win here probably wouldn’t put her in line for a crack at Nunes. However, it would move her closer, and would almost definitely give her the biggest win of her career.
That’s because – Ronda Rousey and Nunes aside – Miesha Tate is still probably the biggest star that the UFC’s bantamweight division has produced.
‘Cupcake’ returned to action earlier this year after five years in retirement, but didn’t appear to have lost a step in an impressive win over Marion Reneau.
The most interesting thing was that, at the age of 35, Tate looked to be in the best physical shape of her life. She was never out of shape per say, but seems to have worked a lot on her strength and explosiveness, and completely overwhelmed Reneau in their clash.
Like she never left 💯
@MieshaTate gets the third-round finish in her return at #UFCVegas31 https://t.co/hbFxh5qJvn
This fight, then, should come down to who can control exactly where it takes place. A strong amateur wrestler, Tate’s grappling was always solid – allowing her to beat foes like Holly Holm and Jessica Eye.
‘Cupcake’ also has an underrated striking game, another aspect she seems to have worked on during her time away from the UFC. Sure, she’ll never be a concussive striker like Nunes, but she’s definitely a much crisper boxer than she once was.
Based on what we’ve seen from Vieira, Tate probably has the edge on the feet in this fight, meaning ‘Fenomeno’ will look to impose her grappling, most likely by taking ‘Cupcake’ down early and controlling her there.
The issue she’s going to have, though, is that Tate looks to be the superior athlete, meaning that Vieira may find it hard to get her off her feet. It may well be the case, in fact, that Tate can take her down instead.
Essentially, it’s easy to forget, but the only women to really handle Tate in the UFC were Rousey, Nunes and Zingano. Sure, Raquel Pennington also beat her, but it’s probably fair to say that by that stage, Tate’s head wasn’t in the game.
Therefore, based on how good she looked against Reneau, does Vieira have enough to beat her? In all honesty, the answer is no – leading to a ‘Cupcake’ win and a potential title shot in 2022.
The Pick: Tate via third round TKO
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