Vieira triumphs; Holm surprised and disappointed

Ketlen Vieira won by split decision over Holly Holm in the main event at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas in a clash that will not go down in history.

The Brazilian won by split decision. The 30-year-old fighter got the nod from two judges who gave Holm the cards 48-47 to only one.

Vieira got the best chance to end the fight in round two as she landed a choke that appeared to put Holm (14-6-0) in a worrying position as her face turned red.

The win will be a big boost for Vieira who suffered a controversial split decision loss in February to Yana Kunitskaya. This victory should allow him to access a title fight.

Vieira could be lucky enough to find herself in combat against Julianna Pena or Amanda Nunes, who will fight at UFC 277 on July 30.

Holm disagrees with the judges’ decision. After the fight, she said she conceded losing the second round, but she believed she had done enough to win the fight.

The fight usually took place standing up to the chagrin of Vieira, who regularly found herself pinned against the fence of the octagon.

Vieira (13-2-0) looked passive, neutral and on defense for most of the fight.

Holm, who is 40 and hasn’t been back in an octagon since October 2020, hoped to use this fight as a springboard to a return to the top of her class.

Holm was scheduled to fight twice but was ruled out each time, once due to a medical issue and then a knee injury.