Today we learned that the UFC is finalizing a bantamweight matchup between Ketlen Viera (11-2) and Sara McMann (12-6). MMA Fighting was the first to report the fight earlier this afternoon. The fight is scheduled to take place on August 28th.
This isn’t the first time that these two top ten bantamweights have stood across from each other. Viera and McMann previously met back in 2017 at UFC 215. That night, Ketlen Viera was able to pick up the arm-triangle submission victory.
Starting with that loss to Viera at UFC 215, Sara McMann is just 1-3 in her last four fights. The former UFC title challenger and Olympic Silver Medalist is getting ready to turn 41 this year, but she has a lot of fight left.
After the birth of her son, McMann took some time off. She returned back in January of 2020 and picked up a good decision win over Lina Lansberg. From there, she took on top contender Julianna Pena at UFC 257.
McMann started the fight out well, but she started fading in the second round. By the third round, Pena was able to get top position on the ground and lock up a rear-naked choke. McMann will look to bounce back in August.
Important UFC matchup for Viera
In March of 2018 at UFC 222, Ketlen Viera defeated Cat Zingano by decision. Viera looked like she was getting close to a UFC title shot seeing as she was a perfect 10-0 in her career and 4-0 inside the octagon.
However, injuries kept her out of the octagon until UFC 245 in December of 2019. After 20 months off, Viera returned to take on Irene Aldana. Aldana knocked Viera out in the first round.
Viera would bounce back against Sijara Eubanks, but then she lost to Yana Kunitskaya back in February. After once looking like a title challenger, Viera is now looking at potentially being 1-3 in her last four UFC fights.
This is a huge fight for both of these ladies. In reality, I’m not sure what happens with the loser of this fight. The winner can pick up some momentum and start climbing the divisional ladder, but the loser will continue to tumble down the rankings with a steep climb up.