Miesha Tate Explains Holly Holm’s Mistakes In UFC Vegas 55 Main Event

Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate has assessed Holly Holm’s performance at UFC Vegas 55, and explained why her game plan played right into the hands of Ketlen Vieira. In this past weekend’s main event, two 135-pound contenders collided, both of whom were looking to secure their place behind Amanda Nunes in the queue…

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Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate has assessed Holly Holm’s performance at UFC Vegas 55, and explained why her game plan played right into the hands of Ketlen Vieira.

In this past weekend’s main event, two 135-pound contenders collided, both of whom were looking to secure their place behind Amanda Nunes in the queue for a shot at reigning bantamweight queen Julianna Peña.

After five rounds of action, which saw the #2-ranked Holm record an abundance of control time against the cage, the Brazilian fell on the right side of a split decision. While the verdict caused a fare amount of controversy, most acknowledge that Vieira’s offense secured her at least two rounds, with a couple others being close enough to swing either way.

In the aftermath of the event, some fans and pundits criticized Holm’s strategy, which seemed solely committed to control against the fence, which, as per the scoring criteria, is not credited in the eyes of the judges without some effective offense behind it.

Now, one of Holm’s former opponents has become the latest to suggest that the former champ’s clinch-heavy approach was a mistake.

Taking to Twitter following the culmination of the main event, Miesha Tate suggested that “The Preacher’s Daughter” got it all wrong with her gameplan on the night. Speaking from experience, the 35-year-old discussed the importance of forcing Vieira to be the aggressor.

“Not a good game plan by @HollyHolm I can say it bc I’ve made the mistake before too. she shoulda stayed on the outside & forced Ketlen to be the aggressor. Holly’s an excellent counter striker, she tired herself out by engaging in the clinch too much. Ketlen makes it look easy”

Vieira’s victory over Holm on Saturday night marked the addition of a second former titleholder to her record. In her previous contest, the Brazilian outpointed Tate across 25 minutes of action.

Having defeated Tate and likely secured her ascent deep into the division’s top five with her triumph against Holm, Vieira will be keeping a close eye on the rematch between Peña and Nunes, which was recently confirmed to be the headliner for UFC 277 on July 30.

Do you agree with Miesha Tate’s assessment of Holly Holm’s performance at UFC Vegas 55?

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Daniel Cormier Debates Holly Holm Loss, Judging Criteria: ‘I Don’t Really Understand What I’m Watching’

Daniel CormierFormer two-weight UFC champion, Daniel Cormier has claimed that he’s unsure how two of three judges managed to score last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 headliner in favor of Ketlen Vieira – questioning if onlookers just don’t understand the criteria or what they are actually viewing, in fact. Cormier, who called last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 […]

Daniel Cormier

Former two-weight UFC champion, Daniel Cormier has claimed that he’s unsure how two of three judges managed to score last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 headliner in favor of Ketlen Vieira – questioning if onlookers just don’t understand the criteria or what they are actually viewing, in fact.

Cormier, who called last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 action alongside both former lightweight contender, Paul Felder, and play-by-play staple, Jon Anik as part of a commentary booth trio, expressed his confusion as to how Vieira managed to land a split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) win against former bantamweight champion, Holm.

“This is where I don’t really understand what I’m watching in terms of the fight,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “(Eryk) Anders fight, (Holly) Holm fight – both had so much control time against the side of the Octagon that I don’t know how they are losing the fight.”

“And I think probably the most famous instance in which that happened was Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal, the first fight,” Daniel Cormier claimed. “If there is no value in clinch control, then how did Kamaru win that fight so dominantly the first time he fought Masvidal? I’m not saying dominantly in terms of damage, I’m talking so dominantly across the scorecards. Because very few judges scored a round for Jorge Masvidal outside of round one.”

“What they did was give value and give credit to Kamaru Usman for putting Jorge Masvidal in a position that he did not want to go to for extended periods of time. That’s where I think the judging gets f*cked up a little bit.”

Daniel Cormier believes judges are consistently making mistakes in their scoring

Despite overall damage and effective, impactful striking listed as the most valuable means in scoring points on judge’s scorecards as per the criteria, Cormier believes Octagon-side judges are continually making consistent mistakes when it comes to scoring fights.

“But once again, it’s on the judges, “Daniel Cormier said. “Once again, they keep on making these mistakes, I would think? Or we just don’t know what the hell we’re watching. … The Holm fight last night was wrong.”

“Last night was probably the most clear instance in which I felt like I did not know what I’m watching, I guess,” Daniel Cormier explained. “Because I was on the wrong side of two fights that I thought were going one direction, and they didn’t.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

5 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night 206

UFC Fight Night 206 went down on Saturday night in Las Vegas. It certainly wasn’t a Card of the Year contender, but it was a decent night of fights when all was said and done and one that set up several interesting matchup options…

UFC Fight Night 206 went down on Saturday night in Las Vegas. It certainly wasn’t a Card of the Year contender, but it was a decent night of fights when all was said and done and one that set up several interesting matchup options…

Holly Holm Expresses Frustration With Judging Following UFC Vegas 55

Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm has spoken out following her controversial loss to Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 55. Holm was looking to win a third-straight fight following back-to-back victories over Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington. A win over Vieira would’ve likely given her a title shot against the winner of the Julianna Peña/Amanda…

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Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm has spoken out following her controversial loss to Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 55.

Holm was looking to win a third-straight fight following back-to-back victories over Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington. A win over Vieira would’ve likely given her a title shot against the winner of the Julianna Peña/Amanda Nunes rematch.

But it wasn’t to be after five rounds of action as she lost a split decision to Vieira in the UFC Vegas 55 headliner. Despite outstriking Vieira in nearly every category, she didn’t end up triumphant on the judges’ scorecards.

During the UFC Vegas 55 post-fight show, Holm explained her issue with MMA judges following the loss.

“It’s just frustrating, because I think a lot of times these judges haven’t been through a training camp and see what you put on the line, and then when it comes short, just because they decide, ‘Well maybe I’ll throw this round here or this round there,’” Holm said. “I don’t agree with them. I’m pretty upset with them.

“I know it’s a hard position to be in, to be the judge, you have to make that decision right there, but I felt like I won.” (h/t MMA Fighting)

Holm is the latest victim of controversial judging and decisions over the past few years. Fighters such as Francis Ngannou and Anthony Smith have been critical of judges and the lack of accountability for their scorecards.

When asked about how she felt the fight played out, Holm gave her thoughts on how she would’ve scored the bout.

“I felt like she had round two but at the end of the fight, I truly felt in my heart that I won the fight,” Holm opined. “So I’m disappointed.

“I really don’t give her three rounds. You would have to give her three rounds to win the fight. I don’t really give her three rounds. But I always want perfection on my side so I want to make it so clear that there’s not even a question but I really felt like I won the fight.”

When asked about her thoughts on the judging, Vieira accused Holm of stalling throughout the fight, which in her mind impacted the final scorecards.

Despite the obvious disappointment that comes with defeat, Holm took a forward-thinking approach to the aftermath of her fight with Vieira.

“It’s a loss now,” Holm admitted. “I’ve got to be able to be back, be better and not ever let it be a question.”

After previously hinting at a return to the boxing ring to face Katie Taylor, Holm remains intent on getting at least one more bantamweight title shot before her MMA career concludes.

How did you score Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira?

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Ketlen Vieira Claims She Felt ‘Light Tap’ From Holly Holm During UFC Vegas 55 Submission Attempt

Ketlen VieiraDespite landing a close, argued split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) victory over the #2 ranked former bantamweight champion, Holly Holm during last night’s UFC Vegas 55 main event, surging Brazilian contender, Ketlen Vieira claims she felt a “light tap” from the Albuquerque native during a standing rear-naked choke attempt.  Ketlen Vieira, who landed her seventh […]

Ketlen Vieira

Despite landing a close, argued split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) victory over the #2 ranked former bantamweight champion, Holly Holm during last night’s UFC Vegas 55 main event, surging Brazilian contender, Ketlen Vieira claims she felt a “light tap” from the Albuquerque native during a standing rear-naked choke attempt. 

Ketlen Vieira, who landed her seventh Octagon victory in last night’s main event victory, managed to just about scrape by with a close split decision win against Holm – adding the former undisputed bantamweight titleholder to a prior unanimous judging win against another former gold holder, common-foe, Miesha Tate in November of last year.

The Brazilian received some criticizm from her head coach, Andre Pederneiras ahead of the fifth and final frame at the UFC Apex facility, with the Octagon veteran insisting that his student was likely three rounds down to former titleholder, Holm, however, two of three judges sitting Octagon side handed Vieira the victory in the form of a split decision win.

Ketlen Vieira questions if Holly Holm actually tapped during their UFC Vegas 55 main event

Reflecting on her performance and win during her media availability backstage following UFC Vegas 55, Vieira claimed that during a notable standing rear-naked choke attempt, Holm, who managed to survive and grit through – that she had felt a “light tap”.

“I felt pretty good about that and I thought that she (Holly Holm) actually was doing a light tap,” Ketlen Vieira told assembled media. “I saw the ref come in close and when I looked over to see him coming close that’s when I think she took the opportunity because I looked away from what was going on and she escaped me.” 

Vieira claimed that throughout the main event clash, Holm had attempted to stall and turn the fight into something of an “antigame”.
“I think she was doing more of an “antigame”, we use that term for soccer,” Kelten Vieira said. “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.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)

6 Positives & 2 Negatives From UFC Vegas 55

On Saturday night, MMA’s premier promotion returned to action and held its latest Fight Night card in the form of UFC Vegas 55. The ongoing rivalry between champion Julianna Peña and the recently dethroned Amanda Nunes has dominated the 135-pound discussion so far in 2022, but there are still some in-form contenders looking to remind…

Continue Reading 6 Positives & 2 Negatives From UFC Vegas 55 at MMA News.

On Saturday night, MMA’s premier promotion returned to action and held its latest Fight Night card in the form of UFC Vegas 55.

The ongoing rivalry between champion Julianna Peña and the recently dethroned Amanda Nunes has dominated the 135-pound discussion so far in 2022, but there are still some in-form contenders looking to remind the top two of their presence in the title conversation, and a couple of those women headlined UFC Vegas 55.

While former bantamweight queen Holly Holm was looking to continue her pursuit of a second reign and a sixth championship fight, #5-ranked Ketlen Vieira hoped to ride the momentum from her November 2021 victory over Miesha Tate and add the name of another former champ to her résumé.

With the always-entertaining Michel Pereira in action against Santiago Ponzinibbio, as well as the likes of Eryk Anders, Uroš Medi?, Jonathan Martinez, Chidi Njokuani, and Chase Hooper also entering the Octagon, this UFC Fight Night looked set to be another under-the-radar card likely to produce some fireworks.

So, did it deliver in that way? Let’s find out with the positives and negatives from UFC Vegas 55.

Positive – The Evolution Of “Sampage”

There’s not much better in MMA than watching a once-struggling fighter begin to flourish. If Charles Oliveira’s reign on the lightweight throne (*has) taught us anything, it’s that. While it’s nowhere near the same level, both in terms of skill and context, Sam Hughes was still able to continue her evolution in impressive fashion at UFC Vegas 55.

After a unanimous decision loss to Luana Pinheiro last November, Hughes entered 2022 with an 0-3 UFC record and with just one fight left on her contract. It’s safe to say that her fourth walk to the Octagon was make or break.

But having swapped Catalyst MMA for Fortis MMA, where she’s trained under the tutelage of renowned coach Sayif Saud, “Sampage” has not only rescued her career on MMA’s biggest stage, but began to make it her home. After outpointing Istela Nunes in April, Hughes made it two for two on Saturday, dominating Elise Reed en route to a third-round TKO, which came via some pretty brutal ground-and-pound.

Post-fight, Hughes said that her time at Fortis MMA has made her “unstoppable” and “unbreakable.” We’ll be seeing that claim tested in the coming months and years, but her latest triumph certainly did no harm to it.

Negative – Don’t Grab The Cage Or… You’ll Get A Free Submission Escape?

We’ve seen some questionable refereeing decisions in recent times, but standing a fight up after one fighter prevented a submission attempt by grabbing the fence takes the cake.

Mark Smith is great ref, but I’m sure even he’ll watch that back and say, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ During the first round of Chase Hooper’s featherweight clash with Felipe Colares, “The Dream” latched onto a leg from bottom position, potentially with an opportunity to lock in a calf slicer or another leg-based submission.

To try and prevent the move, the Brazilian blatantly grabbed the fence, and also prolonged it beyond Smith’s initial warning. The veteran ref responded by pausing the contest (all good so far). He then stood the pair up (taking a point? Great, love that Mark). “Fight…” (Hello?)

Essentially, Colares committed a foul in order to avoid a compromising position. As a reward, he was given a free escape and Hooper was punished by losing the position.

A strange one, to say the least.

Chase Hooper & Felipe Colares
Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Positive – Chase Hooper 2.0

If you were after another dose of evolved performances following Hughes’ card-opening win, how about that from Chase Hooper in the night’s second fight?

Hooper arrived in MMA’s premier promotion as a highly touted and unbeaten young prospect. While a quick debut win against Daniel Teymur and a come-from-behind submission victory over Peter Barrett aided that reputation, unanimous decision setbacks to Alex Caceres and Steven Peterson exposed some heavy flaws in Hooper’s game, namely his striking.

But while his standup game had previously been a display of flailing limbs and technique-less offense, a near-year layoff clearly helped “The Dream” work on his skillset. While ‘good’ would perhaps be generous, somewhat sufficient and polished would be an accurate description for Hooper’s improved striking.

That, coupled with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu talent and relentless pace, helped the 22-year-old to largely outclass the tough Colares, becoming the first to ever finish the Brazilian in the third round with some ground-and-pound.

While it’s clear that his game is far from complete and not without its issues, Hooper’s rebound performance at UFC Vegas 55 was certainly a start, and seemingly the arrival of Chase Hooper 2.0.

At just 22 years old, there’s still plenty of time for the up-and-comer to evolve even more.

Positive – Someone Call A Medi?

You’ll have to mispronounce Uroš Medi?’s name for that pun to work, but (visually) close enough…

We knew “The Doctor” hit hard but holy smokes. The finishing combination that led to the end of Omar Morales’ night at UFC Vegas 55 was truly vicious.

Medi? made his name in the UFC as one of the standout performers in season four of Dana White’s Contender Series. After earning a contract with a first-round TKO win against Mikey Gonzalez, the 29-year-old maintained his 100% finishing rate on debut, recording a memorable and fast TKO victory over Aalon Cruz.

With his stock high, Medi? experienced his first setback in his sophomore Octagon outing, falling to a submission loss to Jalin Turner, who’s now won four straight and earned a fight with ranked lightweight Brad Riddell next.

But while Turner is going on to big things, his former opponent won’t be far behind him after his latest outing.

At UFC Vegas 55, Medi? appeared much more patient, awaiting the opening for his renowned power. After dropping Morales towards the end of the first frame, “The Doctor” brought things to a close in the second in emphatic fashion, flooring the Venezuelan with some clean and forceful shots.

Having gotten back on track with yet another impressive finish, Medi? will be looking to continue his rise next time out. Given his performance on Saturday night, it stands to reason that a lot more eyeballs will be on him moving forward.

Positive – A Name To Remember

If there was one takeaway from the UFC Vegas 55 prelims, and perhaps the event as a whole, it was keep an eye on Jailton Almeida.

There’s something immensely casual and impressive about winning 10 consecutive fights at light heavyweight before nonchalantly moving up for a heavyweight debut on short notice and snapping the three-fight win streak of a man 40 pounds heavier.

While the victim of that was the previously in-form Parker Porter, the man behind the notable feat was rising prospect Almeida. Having entered the year as new addition to the UFC roster following a second-round submission win against Nasrudin Nasrudinov on DWCS, the Brazilian has certainly made an impact inside the Octagon in 2022.

After putting the light heavyweights on notice with a fast TKO victory over Danilo Marques on debut, “Malhadinho” showed his two-division talents on Saturday, taking down and dominating Porter en route to another first-round finish, this time via rear-naked choke.

With two wins in two divisions, 11 consecutive victories, a 100% finishing rate, and a frankly scary physical presence in the cage, this man looks to be a real problem, first for the light heavyweights, and perhaps even for the heavyweights should he make a permanent switch down the line.

Negative – An Underwhelming Main Card Fight

Who made the decision to drop Almeida vs. Porter to the prelims to make way for Polyana Viana and Tabatha Ricci on the main card? If that decision wasn’t questionable anyway, the way both fights went hammered it home.

The fight was as unentertaining as it was bizarre. It saw Ricci chase takedowns, only to stand up and throw kicks with little impact to Viana on the ground. The response from “Dama de Ferro” wasn’t much better, as she seemed content relaxing on her back and appeared to think she’d walked into a submission grappling event.

In the end, the scorecards all read 28-27 for Ricci. Despite her top position, Ricci did little in the opening round, and her compatriot was much more effective with submission attempts from the bottom. Although less active in the second frame, it certainly wouldn’t have been absurd to score that for Viana, too, as Ricci’s offense wasn’t much better.

In her post-fight interview, “Baby Shark” branded the Octagon as a “shark tank” and said that she is “hungry.” I’m not sure that the other fish at 125 pounds will be too concerned or afraid off the back of that performance.

Positive – Chidi, Chidi, Bang, Bang

Wow. Wow. Wow… Wow.

How do you light up an underwhelming start to a main card? Give Chidi “Bang Bang” Njokuani a call. After two tough watches to open the top slate at UFC Vegas 55, Njokuani brought the Apex crowd to its feet with another highlight-reel knockout.

Having seemingly prepared extensively for the clinch given Duško Todorovi?’s close-range style, “Bang Bang” lived up to his moniker in style, executing the perfect elbow as the pair separated towards the end of the first round.

After speaking earlier about Jailton Almeida’s fiery 2-0 start inside the Octagon, Njokuani has certainly earned the same level of acclaim. Having followed his 16-second debut win against Marc-André Barriault with another memorable stoppage at UFC Vegas 55, the Dallas native has sent a warning to the middleweight class.

Something about elbows just makes every knockout that extra bit vicious…

Positive – As Advertized, Violence!

Fight of the Night was pretty much a lock before the card even began. When entertainers Michel Pereira and Santiago Ponzinibbio were matched up, I think we all knew what to expect.

In the first round of the night’s co-main event, the Brazilian looked fantastic. While Ponzinibbio struggled to find the mark and landed at just over a 20% rate, Pereira was hitting more than 60% of his shots, and looked technical and fantastic.

In the second round, proceedings remained the same for a period, but the “Argentine Dagger” hit back towards the end, seemingly turning the tide and gaining the momentum heading into the final frame.

After a second wind saw Pereira land some hard blows to open round three, Ponzinibbio once again clawed his way back into the clash, playing his part in an incredible and wild final stanza.

In the end, “Demolidor” fell on the right side of a split decision, extending his win streak to four and securing his ascension into the welterweight rankings upon the next update.

A side-note, you have to feel for Ponzinibbio. The 35-year-old leaves everything inside the cage, and has now left the Octagon in back-to-back fights having lost razor-close decisions. In a parallel universe, the Argentinian could easily have two split decision victories over Geoff Neal and Pereira on his record, and be within the divisional top 10.

While Pereira will be celebrating another memorable win, Ponzinibbio’s stock certainly didn’t dip at UFC Vegas 55.

What were your positives and negatives from UFC Vegas 55?

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