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UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate was undoubtedly one of the most underwhelming UFC shows of 2021. Featuring just one finish across a card of eleven fights, this show unfortunately dragged somewhat.
Despite being one of 2021’s more forgettable shows, UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate still saw a number of fighters pick up major wins.
Some of these fighters will now move into title contention, while others will simply move up the ladder in their respective weight classes.
With this in mind, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate.
#5. Rani Yahya – defeated Kyung Ho Kang in a UFC bantamweight bout
Okay, so it’s probably safe to say that even hardcore fans won’t be interested in rewatching Rani Yahya’s fight with Kyung Ho Kang any time soon.
While there was nothing technically wrong with the bantamweight bout, it simply seemed to drag on due to the lack of anything close to a finish. This summed up last night’s UFC Fight Night show in a microcosm.
However, to see Yahya – who turned 37 a couple of months ago and has been fighting in the UFC since 2011 and in MMA in general for nearly two decades – styling on Kang on the mat was still mightily impressive.
Granted, Kang hadn’t fought in the UFC since December 2019, but he still had the ability, on paper at least, to make things difficult for Yahya.
However, despite landing some heavy strikes at times, ‘Mr Perfect’ simply couldn’t stop the Brazilian from taking him down. Yahya’s displayed throughout his UFC career that whenever he can get an opponent down, they tend to find themselves in deep water.
Does the win mean Yahya is capable of climbing the ladder back towards the top of the division? The truth is it probably doesn’t, but to see a guy who is pushing 40 and was never the most explosive athlete still grinding out a win in the UFC is pretty cool.
#4. Adrian Yanez – defeated Davey Grant in a UFC bantamweight bout
After comfortably swatting aside his first three opponents in the UFC – defeating Victor Rodriguez, Gustavo Lopez and Randy Costa all by KO – Adrian Yanez was faced with a trickier test last night in the form of Davey Grant. Considering Yanez not only passed this test, but did so in style, claiming a $50k bonus for putting on the Fight of the Night, makes him one of last night’s biggest winners.
Early on, the aggressive Grant took the fight to Yanez somewhat with his striking, making the most of his slight height advantage.
However, as the fight went on, it quickly became clear that the native of Houston, Texas was the more comfortable striker. Yanez landed plenty of heavy counters on Grant, particularly in the later rounds. In the third round, he blooded his eye up with a ramrod jab.
Yanez didn’t come close to pulling off a finish this time around as ‘Dangerous Davey’ was tough enough to take his best shots. However, the fact that he pulled off the win without really getting into any danger was still impressive.
Who’s next for this high-end prospect? It’s hard to say, but there can be no doubt that Yanez is a fighter to keep an eye on going into 2022.
#3. Taila Santos – defeated Joanne Wood in a UFC flyweight bout
Given that she produced the only finish on last night’s entire card, Taila Santos was always going to be considered one of the night’s bigger winners. However, this flyweight prospect deserves praise for more than just that.
Incredibly, Santos took her fight with veteran Joanne Wood on a month’s notice, replacing Alexa Grasso who withdrew due to injury.
Despite being 3-1 in the UFC, it’s probably safe to say that the Brazilian hadn’t quite been tested on this stage before. Sure, her win over Roxanne Modafferi was impressive but, prior to last night, she’d never appeared on the main card of a UFC event.
Santos showed no nerves whatsoever though, hurting Wood with a nasty combination as she forced her on the retreat. She then finished her off on the ground with a textbook rear-naked choke.
Given that Wood was ranked as the No.5 flyweight in the UFC coming into last night’s event, it’s likely that Santos will leapfrog into that spot come next week. In a very thin weight class, that means there’s every chance of her fighting UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko in a title bout next year.
Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but the fact that this win has moved her into title contention makes Santos one of last night’s biggest winners.
#2. Ketlen Vieira – defeated Miesha Tate in a UFC bantamweight bout
UFC bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira was undoubtedly under the biggest spotlight of her career last night. The Brazilian was not only placed in her first headline bout, but she was also faced with a former UFC champion in the form of Miesha Tate.
However, Vieira stepped up to the plate and, after a somewhat slow start, largely dominated ‘Cupcake’ en route to a five round shutout.
Surprisingly enough, Vieira – who had usually relied on her grappling in her previous UFC victories – chose to strike with Tate for the majority of this fight.
Despite many fans giving ‘Cupcake’ the edge on the feet, it was Vieira who dominated proceedings. She bloodied Tate up and landed some heavy strikes while making the most of her length and reach.
Will this win be enough to put ‘Fenomeno’ in line for a shot at UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes? Probably not. The fight was simply not that exciting, and Vieira certainly didn’t show anything to suggest she’d stand a chance against ‘The Lioness’.
However, it was still an impressive victory when you consider Tate’s past achievements. Therefore, it should at least put Vieira in line for a big fight next time around – making ‘Fenomeno’ one of the show’s bigger winners.
#1. Sean Brady – defeated Michael Chiesa in a UFC welterweight bout
The biggest winner from last night’s UFC event was undoubtedly Sean Brady. The Philadelphia native was ranked at No.14 in the welterweight division prior to last night, but remained largely unknown to the fans.
That should change now. Despite most fans favoring Michael Chiesa to end his unbeaten run, Brady dominated proceedings, even beating ‘Maverick’ in his own realm – on the mat, grappling.
An incredibly powerful 170lber, Brady physically dominated Chiesa here despite the TUF 15 winner not exactly being a small welterweight in his own right. Essentially, whenever Brady wanted to take ‘Maverick’ down, he did so, and for the most part he kept him there too.
Considering Brady suggested he’d let the pressure of being in a co-headline bout get to him and affect his performance, it’s even more remarkable that he shut out such a dangerous foe.
At this point, there’s no doubt that Brady belongs in the top ten at 170lbs. Given that reigning UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman has been systematically destroying all of his contenders, there’s an outside chance that he could find himself in a fight with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ in 2022.
Sure, he didn’t pick up a finish last night, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of. On a card with few real winners, Sean Brady stood out head and shoulders above the rest.
