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Female bantamweight Ketlen Vieira is ready turn it all around after her first professional loss.
Sometimes taking one step back to move two steps forward is necessary. At least that’s the philosophy female bantamweight prospect Ketlen Vieira adopted following her first professional MMA loss in December 2019.
Back at UFC 245, Vieira lost her invincibility when she met Irene Aldana, who knocked her out cold in the first round of their fight. Now, Ketlen is paired up against Sijara Eubanks for UFC 253, in a fight ‘Sarge’ took on short notice after Marion Reneau needed to pull out due to injury.
In an interview with Combate, Ketlen says the loss was an important tool that allowed her to grow even more as a fighter. Against Eubanks, Vieira intends to show how much she has evolved after the knockout.
“I think I’ve grown since my last fight. The loss was the missing piece for me to grow as an athlete. I’ve gotten better everywhere, I’m more well-rounded. In this next fight, I’ll show a big evolution in my grappling and my striking. My cardio is doing great. My coach has been doing a great job. I’m healthy, strong, the weight is coming down nicely. Everything is 100%, I think this has been my best camp ever. I had the time to get better and develop my techniques.”
Although she had to deal with a sudden opponent change, Vieira believes the new pairing will not be much of an issue for her. Since both Marion Reneau and Sijara Eubanks are Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelts, Ketlen feels like the new matchup will play out similarly to the original one.
“I was in London when I got the text saying that Marion was injured. My opponent is another Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt, so it’s not so different from Marion. I know she’s dangerous and deserves respect. She is coming off a win over an athlete that was on a good streak (Julia Avila). What makes me the happiest is fighting tough opponents. I wanted to be in the UFC to fight the best in the world, so each fight is a dream coming true.”
Before her loss to Irene Aldana, Vieira (10-1) was on a four-fight winning streak in the Octagon, with victories over Kelly Faszholz, Ashlee Evans-Smith, Sara McMann and Cat Zingano.
Now, the 29-year-old is expected to take on Eubanks at UFC 253, on September 26, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a middleweight title fight between the champion, Israel Adesanya, and top contender Paulo Costa.