Ketlen Vieira da Silva (born 26 August 1991) is a Brazilian professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who currently competes in the women's

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC). As of 8 October 2024, she is #3 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings.

Background

Vieira was born in

Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...

, Amazonas, Brazil. She started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and when she was twelve she started training in

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

. She holds black belts in both disciplines. She is also a decorated wrestler with multiple prestigious titles, including Brazilian national

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

championship. She studied law at University Nilton Lins, but dropped out in order to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. She eventually transitioned to MMA and trained under Marcinho Pontes, who was

José Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior (; born 9 September 1986), known as José Aldo, is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate F ...

's early coach at Nova Uniao Manaus gym.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Vieira fought all of her fights in Brazil where she made her professional debut on 2 October 2014, at Circuito de Lutas: Fight Night 4 in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

. She faced Juliana Leite and knocked out Leite in round two. She continued to win the next 5 fights under Mr. Cage and Big Way Fight Night banners where she won the Mr. Cage bantamweight title. Vieira amassed a record of 6–0 in 17 months prior to being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Vieira made her promotional debut on 1 October 2016, at UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, United States. She faced Kelly Faszholz and ultimately edged out her opponent to win by split decision. In the post fight interview, Vieira explained her difficulty with

weight cutting Weight cutting is the practice of fast weight loss prior to a sporting competition. It most frequently happens in order to qualify for a lower weight class or to meet the maximum weight limit in their weight class if one exists (usually in combat ...

for this fight. Two days prior to the scheduled fight, she needed to drink one liter of water to provide a

urine sample A urine test is any medical test performed on a urine specimen. The analysis of urine is a valuable diagnostic tool because its composition reflects the functioning of many body systems, particularly the kidneys and urinary system, and specimens ...

USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

, which interfered with the process of her weight cut prior to the USADA visit. She took on

Ashlee Evans-Smith Ashlee Evans-Smith (born July 9, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the women's flyweight and bantamweight divisions. She competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She has her own podcast called Sex & Violence w ...

at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis on 15 April 2017. After three rounds, the judges handed the victory to Vieira via unanimous decision with the score board of (29–28, 30–27, 29–28). Vieira was originally expected to face

Sara McMann Sara McMann (born September 24, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. She is a former Olympic wrestler and received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympi ...

UFC 214 ''UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on July 29, 2017, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A PPV event was initially planned for Anaheim on Ja ...

on 29 July 2017. However, the fight was moved to

UFC 215 ''UFC 215: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 9, 2017, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background The promotion was initially planning a PPV even ...

on 9 September 2017. Vieira won the bout via arm-triangle choke submission in the second round. A bout against

Germaine de Randamie Germaine de Randamie (born April 24, 1984) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Undefeated in sanctioned kickboxing bouts, she competed in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and was the ...

was announced for UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders on 3 February 2018. However, the bout was soon cancelled due to a hand injury sustained by de Randamie. Vieira faced

Cat Zingano Cat Zingano (née Albert; born July 1, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist, currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. Zingano also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and on Apri ...

on 3 March 2018, at

UFC 222 ''UFC 222: Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 3, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. UFC 222 features ...

. She won the fight via split decision. Vieira was scheduled to face

Tonya Evinger Tonya Evinger (born June 4, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist. She is currently signed with Global Fight League (GFL). A professional since 2006, Evinger has previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), EliteXC, Ragi ...

on 22 September 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders. However, on 7 August 2018, she pulled out due to a knee injury. Vieira fought

Irene Aldana Irene Aldana Robles (born March 26, 1988) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of September 17, 2024, she is #6 in the UFC wo ...

on 14 December 2019, at

UFC 245 ''UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 14, 2019, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. B ...

. She lost the fight by knockout in the first round. Vieira was scheduled to face

Marion Reneau Marion Reneau (born June 20, 1977) is an American retired professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed as a Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Reneau began her ...

on 9 May 2020, at

UFC 250 ''UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 6, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. I ...

. Due to the event being relocated to the United States, Vieira being unable to compete due to visa issues: However, on 9 April,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date Instead, Vieira was scheduled to face

Yana Kunitskaya Yana Santos (; November 11, 1989) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Prior to joining the UFC, Santos competed for Invicta FC where she ...

on 1 August 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana, and on 15 July 2020, it was announced that the bout was moved to

UFC Fight Night 174 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 174'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 32'' and ''UFC Vegas 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 8, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in En ...

on 8 August 2020. Subsequently, Vieira was removed from the card on 30 July for undisclosed reasons and replaced by

Julija Stoliarenko Julija Stoliarenko (born 8 April 1993) is a Lithuanian mixed martial artist, submission grappler, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt athlete and former Lethwei fighter. A two-time European Open champion and two-time IBJJF World medallist i ...

. The bout with Reneau was rescheduled and was expected to take place on 27 September 2020, at

UFC 253 ''UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 27, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background The event was orig ...

. However, Reneau withdrew from the bout citing an undisclosed injury and she was replaced by

Sijara Eubanks Sijara Jihan Eubanks ( ; born April 27, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the women's bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Eubanks was born and raised in Springfield, Massac ...

. Vieira won the fight via unanimous decision. The bout with

was rescheduled and eventually took place on 20 February 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 185 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 185'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 43'' and ''UFC Vegas 19'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 20, 2021 at the UFC ...

. At the weigh-ins, Vieira weighed in at 138 pounds, two pounds over the women's bantamweight non-title fight limit. She was fined 20% of her purse which went to her opponent, Kunitskaya, and the bout proceeded at a catchweight. Vieira lost the fight via unanimous decision. Vieira was scheduled for a rematch against

on 28 August 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 30 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 30'' and ''UFC Vegas 35'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 28, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise ...

. However, McMann announced in mid August that a "reinjury" forced her out of the bout. Instead, Vieira was scheduled to face

Miesha Tate Miesha Theresa Tate ( ; born August 18, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is a former UFC Women's Bant ...

on 16 October 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 195 ''UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 195'', ''UFC Vegas 40'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 53'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 16, 2021, at the UFC A ...

. However, on 22 September, the bout was pulled from the card when Tate tested positive for COVID-19. The bout was rebooked to 20 November 2021, as the main event of

UFC Fight Night 198 ''UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN+ 56'', ''UFC Vegas 43'' and ''UFC Fight Night 198'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 20, 2021 at the UFC A ...

. Vieira won the bout via unanimous decision. Vieira faced

Holly Holm Holly Rene Holm (born October 17, 1981) is an American professional boxer and former mixed martial artist. She previously competed in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a former Women's ...

on 21 May 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 206 ''UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 206'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 64'' or ''UFC Vegas 55'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 21, 2022, at the UFC Apex f ...

. She won the fight via controversial split decision. 18 out of 20 media outlets scored the bout as a win for Holm. Vieira faced

Raquel Pennington Raquel Len Pennington (born September 5, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champi ...

on 14 January 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 217 ''UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 217'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 75'' and ''UFC Vegas 67'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 14, 2023, at the ...

. She lost the fight via split decision. Vieira faced

Pannie Kianzad Pannie Pantea Kianzad (born December 8, 1991) is an Iranian-born Swedish mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the Women's Bantamweight division, having previously fought in Invicta FC and Cage Warriors where ...

on 22 July 2023, at

UFC on ESPN+ 82 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Viera was scheduled to face

Macy Chiasson Macy Chiasson (born July 27, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist. She was the Women's Featherweight winner of '' The Ultimate Fighter 28'' and currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...

on 13 January 2024, at

UFC Fight Night 234 ''UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 234, UFC on ESPN+ 92'' and ''UFC Vegas 84'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 13, 2024, at the UFC ...

. However, Vieira was pulled as a result of an injury and the bout was scrapped. Viera faced

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

and 2021 PFL Women's Lightweight Champion

Kayla Harrison Kayla Jean Harrison (born July 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former judoka. She currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current UFC Wo ...

on 5 October 2024 at

UFC 307 ''UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 5, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The event marked the ...

. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Viera was re-scheduled to face

on 22 February 2025 at

UFC Fight Night 252 ''UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 252'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 110'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 22, 2025, at the Climate Pledge Arena ...

. However, due to an injury suffered by Chiasson, the bout was removed from the card. The bout between Viera and Chiasson has since been re-booked for 31 May 2025 and is expected to take place at

UFC on ESPN 68 ''UFC on ESPN: Gamrot vs. Klein'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 68'' and ''UFC Vegas 107'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 31, 2025, at the UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, part ...

. The bout was originally scheduled to be a women's bantamweight bout but on the day of the weigh-ins, it was announced that the bout would be changed to a featherweight bout due to "weight management issues" from Vieira, who in turn forfeited 25% of her purse. She won the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

**Highest takedown defense percentage in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (88.9%) **Tied (

Julianna Peña Julianna Peña (born August 19, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a former two-time UFC Women's Bantamweight Champio ...

) for third most wins in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (8) **Second most decision wins in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (7) **Fourth most total fight time in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (3:04:07) **Fifth most total control time in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (52:24) **Fourth most top-position time in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (38:04) ** Tied (

) for most split decision wins in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (3) * Mr. Cage ** Mr. Cage Women's Bantamweight Champion

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 15–4 ,

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vieira, Ketlen Living people 1991 births Brazilian female mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling LGBTQ mixed martial artists Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Brazilian female judoka Martial artists from Manaus People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century Brazilian sportswomen

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links