Ketlen Vieira doesn’t think that the judges were fooled by Holly Holm’s game plan during their fight at UFC Vegas 55.
Following Vieira’s split-decision win over the former bantamweight champion, fans and fighters alike were quick to weigh-in with opinions on the scoring of the evening’s main event. On a fight card where the judges had already been divided on the scoring of two other bouts, Vieira thinks the judges made the correct decision by giving her the win.
When asked at the post-fight press conference if she felt Holm had lost the fight due to the time she spent “stalling” against the fence, Vieira didn’t hold back.
“Yes, I do think so. I think she was doing more of an (anti)-game. We use that term for soccer. So you basically (anti)-game. So that’s what she was doing, she was basically trying to neutralize me. She was just pressing me against the cage, but nothing was happening. She just wanted me to stop fighting, and I think that the judges actually saw that.”
Known for her striking credentials that include boxing world titles as well as one of the most famous knockouts in UFC history, Holm was able to win the first round of their matchup by controlling Vieira against the cage and briefly landing a takedown. Although she returned to this approach throughout the fight, its effectiveness seemed to largely wane as the bout went on.
“The Preacher’s Daughter” did manage to knock Vieira to the mat in the fourth round with a kick to the Brazilian’s midsection, but it was largely Vieira who was landing the more impactful blows during striking exchanges. “Fenômeno” also very nearly submitted Holm in the second round.
Holm took rounds one and five on all three judge’s scorecards, but she only got the nod for round three from one of them. Vieira unanimously took rounds two and four according to the judges, and she also won round three on two of the scorecards to get the split-decision win.
Ranked as the UFC’s #5 bantamweight headed into this fight, Ketlen Vieira is now on a two-fight win streak with main event victories against former champions Holm and Miesha Tate.
What do you make of Vieira’s comments that Holm was attempting to stall during their fight?
Continue Reading Vieira: The Judges Knew Holm Was Just Trying To Stall at MMA News.