UFC Vegas 55 went down last night (Sat., May 21, 2022), featuring a main event fight that saw Ketlen Vieira win a split-decision win over former women’s Bantamweight champion, Holly Holm (see it again here). In the co-main event, Michel Pereira and Santiago Ponzinibbio went to war for 15 minutes which ultimately saw Pereira escape with a split-decision while earning “Fight of the Night” honors.
Winner: Ketlen Vieira
Who She Should Face Next: Raquel Pennington
Had Holly Holm defeated Vieira, she would have more than likely earned the right to face the winner of the upcoming rematch between women’s Bantamweight champion Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes at UFC 277. So it’s only reasonable to think that Vieira will get the next shot, right? Her win against Holm was super close and many felt it should have gone the other way, though the chances of a rematch are pretty slim. That said, a title fight likely isn’t in Vieira’s immediate future since Raquel Pennington is ranked above her and on a four-fight win streak. For my money, I’d make Pennington vs Vieira next as a title eliminator.
Winner: Michel Pereira
Who He Should Face Next: Stephen Thompson
Pereira picked up his fifth straight win inside the Octagon after escaping with a split-decision victory over Santiago Ponzinibbio, and now he finds himself in a great position. At the moment, he is sitting outside of the Top 15 looking in, but that can all change later this week when the new rankings are out. That will determine who he will likely face next. He did call for a fight against Jorge Masvidal, but let’s face it “Gamebred” won’t be taking that fight: high risk, low reward. A fight against Thompson sounds like a whole lot of fun. As it stands “Wonderboy” is on a two-fight win streak but he still owns the No. 7 spot. A win for either man helps their career tremendously.
Winner: Chidi Njokuani
Who He Should Face Next: Jun Yong Park
In two tries inside the Octagon, Njokuani has impressed by picking up two knockout victories, including his latest over Dusko Todovoric (see it again here). Jun Yong Park, meanwhile, also picked up a huge win last night in “Sin City” by toughing out a grueling win against Eryk Anders, so why not have them battle it out against one another? Park is 4-2 inside the Octagon and while Njokuani has just two fights for the promotion, he is currently riding a four-fight win streak.
Winner: Tabatha Ricci
Who She Should Face Next: Cheyanne Vlismas
Ricci won her second straight fight inside the Octagon last night by defeating a very game Polyana Vianna via unanimous decision. Winner of two straight, Ricci cane expect a fight against Vlismas in her next outing. Vlismas is also riding a two-fight win streak and was last seen defeating Mallory Martin via unanimous decision. Both 115-pounders are 2-1 inside the Octagon and pretty much have the same pro experience. There’s not much to this one, it just makes sense. Book it.
For complete UFC Vegas 55: “Holm vs. Vieira” results and play-by-play, click HERE.