Miesha Tate and Ketlen Vieira faced off in a women’s Bantamweight clash tonight (Sat., Nov. 20, 2021) at UFC Vegas 43 from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was close, but Vieira emerged the clear victor.
Vieira landed an early right to start the contest, but Tate answered soon afterward. Vieira stuck her with a sharp jab and looked the quicker woman. Tate came up short with her punches, and Vieira answered with a pair of counters. Tate landed a nice right hand, then about a minute later, put together a longer combination and score well again. Tate finished in the clinch, but Vieira quickly escaped and scored with the jab. Vieira attacked but was stuffed back into the fence. Vieira shot in for a single leg, but Tate hit a butt drag to deny the shot and finish the round in good position.
Vieira landed some hard counters to begin the second. Tate countered with a surprising high kick, but Vieira took it without issue. Good 3-2 scored for the former champion, then the two traded big rights. Vieira spun her opponent around with a low kick. The two started opening up and exchanging a bit more just before the midway point of the round. Front kick to the chin from Miesha Tate! More big exchanges from each woman. Tate tries a takedown but lands when it fails. Vieira lands a couple right hands on the counter. The second round featured long lulls punctuated by wild brawling, making for a close round.
The third round saw early trades of jabs from Vieira and low kicks from Tate. Tate was pressuring, but Vieira landed more efficiently. Vieira landed a right and denied a takedown. Uppercut-left hook combo landed for Vieira again, followed by a stiff jab. Tate jammed her into the fence, but Vieira once again denied the takedown attempt. Tate finished with a nice flurry, but she was largely picked apart in this round.
The fourth frame began with a charge from Tate, who did manage to land a right. Tate timed a takedown very well and dragged her foe to the mat! Vieira immediately worked to stand, denying Tate the back take and regaining the clinch along the fence. Tate kept her against the cage and landed some shots from there. Big 3-2 from Tate was immediately answered by a Vieira right when they returned to the center. Tate landed a couple knees from the clinch, but Vieira attacked the body with uppercuts too. Vieira landed a combination to counter a low kick, then broke a clinch with an elbow. The two finished the round in the clinch, trading shots.
Snappy 1-2 from Vieira began the final frame. Tate shot, gained the clinch, and scored a couple knees. Vieira landed on the counter yet again. Stiff Vieira jab landed again, then she put together a combination. Tate’s nose was bleeding wildly midway through the round. Big right hand connection from Tate, but Vieira just ate it. Tate was looking for the homerun right hand, but Vieira just kept sticking her with counters in the process.
There were some close rounds, and the Diaz-esque facial comparison doesn’t always tell the whole tale, but at the end of 25 minutes, it was pretty clear who won the fight. Vieira was simply the heavier hitter, and despite her best efforts and clear improvement, Tate’s striking wasn’t slick enough to close the gap.
Result: Ketlen Vieira defeats Miesha Tate via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
For complete UFC Vegas 43: “Tate vs. Vieira” results and play-by-play, click HERE!