The UFC has finalized a big time headliner in the women’s bantamweight division. Combate was the first to report today that the promotion was finalizing a headliner between Miesha Tate (19-7) and Ketlen Vieira (11-2).
The fight between these two top ten bantamweights will headline a UFC Fight Night on October 16th. Vieira will be looking to bounce back in this headliner against Tate. The last time we saw Vieira was back in February when she took on Yana Kunitskaya.
While Vieira looked good in spots, she ultimately lost a unanimous decision to Kunitskaya. That loss dropped Vieira to 5-2 in the UFC. A couple of years ago, it appeared that Vieira was looking like a title contender at 135 pounds. However, her progression has slowed down a bit.
Vieira started off extremely strong in the UFC. She started out 4-0 with wins over former title challengers Cat Zingano and Sara McMann. However, she was then out of action for an extended period of time with a few injuries. Since she’s returned, she’s just 1-2 and hasn’t really looked the same.
UFC Comeback for Tate
This is the second UFC fight for Miesha Tate since she decided to return to action. The former Strikeforce and UFC bantamweight champion returned to the cage last month after she retired nearly five years ago at the age of 30.
The highlight of Tate’s career came in 2016. She capped off a 5-0 run by beating Holly Holm at UFC 196 to claim the bantamweight championship. It was the absolute peak for Tate and it was also a high point that she quickly fell off of.
Tate lost her title to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 then lost a decision to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205. After the loss to Pennington, Tate announced that she was retiring. It was a steep fall for Tate who addmitedly said that she was mentally worn out from fighting.
However, after nearly five years away, she decided to return to the UFC. She looked sensational last month when she defeated Marion Reneau. That win put her right back in the mix at 135 pounds. If she can defeat Vieira in October, she might only be a win or two away from a UFC title shot.