Ketlen Vieira was a top-ranked bantamweight in the UFC ever since she beat Sara McMann and Cat Zingano nearly a decade ago, and stayed among the elite until the UFC decided not to offer her a new deal following a win over Jacqueline Cavalcanti this past May. For Vieira, it's still hard to wrap her head around that"unbelievable" call.
It didn't take long for Vieira to find a new home, signing with PFL to face their featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in the main event of PFL Tampa on Aug. 22. Moments away from one of her ultimate dream fights, Vieira opened up on the "mix of feelings" of leaving the UFC after a decade in the promotion.
"I was already expecting it because usually we renew a contract before the final fight," Vieira told MMA Fighting. "When 'Dedé' [Andre Pederneiras] told me they wanted me to have my last fight, I already found it a little strange and was kind of expecting it. But it was still a huge surprise to me because I've been a top athlete in the division for many years."
"What I'm about to say isn't me being arrogant or anything, and I even apologize for saying it," she continued, "but I'm much better than many of the fighters who are there at bantamweight. It's kind of unbelievable that they wouldn't renew my contract when there are many other fighters there who aren't on my level, you know? But I always put my life in God's hands, and He's the one who decides, and He guided me toward what I wanted, which was a ******* le shot."
Vieira won 10 of 15 fights in the UFC cage between 2016 and 2026, topping the likes of Holly Holm, Miesha Tate and suffering defeats only to the best of the bantamweight division, including future champions Kayla Harrison and Raquel Pennington.
#vieira #bantamweight #many #fights
It didn't take long for Vieira to find a new home, signing with PFL to face their featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in the main event of PFL Tampa on Aug. 22. Moments away from one of her ultimate dream fights, Vieira opened up on the "mix of feelings" of leaving the UFC after a decade in the promotion.
"I was already expecting it because usually we renew a contract before the final fight," Vieira told MMA Fighting. "When 'Dedé' [Andre Pederneiras] told me they wanted me to have my last fight, I already found it a little strange and was kind of expecting it. But it was still a huge surprise to me because I've been a top athlete in the division for many years."
"What I'm about to say isn't me being arrogant or anything, and I even apologize for saying it," she continued, "but I'm much better than many of the fighters who are there at bantamweight. It's kind of unbelievable that they wouldn't renew my contract when there are many other fighters there who aren't on my level, you know? But I always put my life in God's hands, and He's the one who decides, and He guided me toward what I wanted, which was a ******* le shot."
Vieira won 10 of 15 fights in the UFC cage between 2016 and 2026, topping the likes of Holly Holm, Miesha Tate and suffering defeats only to the best of the bantamweight division, including future champions Kayla Harrison and Raquel Pennington.
#vieira #bantamweight #many #fights
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