UFC Vegas 43: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate – Decisive match

This may not be the most thrilling Fight Night the UFC has ever put together, but there are still some important stories to emerge from UFC Vegas 43. Ketlen Vieira keeps her title dream alive, while Miesha Tate’s return succeeded a major roadblock. Sean Brady still looks like he’s on his way to the top of the welterweight division. And Taila Santos is starting to look like one of the top leads at 115 lbs.

So can Vieira re-establish herself as a boxer to see at 135 lbs? Time to start talking about Sean Brady as a potential title contender? And how far is Taila Santos to find herself in the Octagon against Valentina Shevchenko?

To answer those questions – and one or two others – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby matchmaking method from the UFC years ago. That means dividing winners from winners, losers from losers, and likewise talent is used against one another. Hopefully, by following that pattern, some of these ideas will actually make their way onto the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s start fighting!

KETLEN VIETNAM

It might not have been a surprisingly dominant performance, but Vieira beat Tate in the better part of five rounds and largely avoided tug-of-war to front ‘Cupcake’ for the decisive win. . Losses to Yana Kunitskaya and Irene Aldana remain significant obstacles to her ultimate goal of fighting for UFC gold, but a win over Tate is a good way to get back on track. That could put her up against Macy Chiasson, Raquel Pennington or Germaine de Randamie (if ‘Iron Lady’ returns from injury soon). However, with Pennington already booked and the GDR being unknown, that would make Chiasson vs. Vieira is the obvious choice. Macy Chiasson vs Ketlen Vieira seems like a good opportunity for Vieira to continue rebuilding her resume, or for Chiasson to prove she’s a future contender in her own right.

MIESHA TATE

Will this put an end to Miesha Tate’s comeback story? She has made it clear that her return to MMA is more than just an exercise to scratch the itch of competing one or two more times; she returned to compete for the title because she believed she could beat Amanda Nunes. That said, after years of being apart and now in her 30s, how much of a setback can Xtreme Couture’s talent withstand? However, assuming this isn’t the end of the trail, there are still some quality skirmishes for the old champion. With Raquel Pennington set to take on Julia Avila, a fight against that booking loser looks like it would make for a meaningful rebound. Tate vs. Pennington 2 will be a great opportunity for Tate to avenge an old loss, and Tate vs. Avila will be a surefire opportunity for Avila to build her resume. Tate versus loser Avila/Pennington looks to be a good way to keep all three women at 135.

SEAN BRADY

Michael Chiesa couldn’t stop Sean Brady from establishing the initiative and, therefore, ultimately having to take the initiative on the carpet. Not exactly any addition to boxer Renzo Gracie Philly’s standout reel, but for a guy who’s only 15 fights in his MMA career and two years in his UFC career, any win that’s going to be a hit. what he got against a guy like Chiesa was a quality win. That should prepare Brady well for a fight with someone else in that top 7-15 range. There is a winner in Ponzinibbio vs. Neal, Salikhov vs. Pereira, or even Khamzat Chimaev would all be good ideas. But since this isn’t the most attention-grabbing performance, I suppose give Brady a chance to assert himself a little more emphatically. He’s just beaten a towering weight class in breathtaking grappling, it’s time to see if he can outrun the two. Sean Brady vs. Neil Magny is a good way to see if Brady can dominate more on his way to the top 10.

TAILA SANTOS

Santos’ fitness in the cage was never put in place, but his ability to turn that dominance into finishing touches was much more difficult. That makes this victim something of a corner moment for the Brazilian. She basically dropped Calderwood twice on the way to lock the first round. If she can display that kind of decisive ability in one or two other skirmishes, her chances of fighting Valentina Shevchenko might just be close. Matches against Lauren Murphy, Andrea Lee, or the Araujo/Grasso winner are all good ways to see if Santos is ready for the top five. Normally, I don’t want to win/lose, but with Murphy there would be a list. brand. , it seems she’s still in a position to be a very meaningful test for a rising contender. Murphy vs Santos looks like a great fight to see if Santos is willing to fight for the gold.

RANI YAHYA

He may never actually win the title, but Rani Yahya remains an eternal threat in the bantamweight division. There are few fighters more dedicated to knocking out their opponents at all costs, and anyone unable to continue their grappling game will find themselves in a hell of a fight against the 37-year-old. A part of me still wants to see Yahya get a chance to fight guys like Uriah Faber and Frankie Edgar, the other older vets who were on top of the world when Yahya was still a young boxer on the top development momentum. Even if he never scrambles for gold, such bookings can at least feel like a consolation prize. The other option would be to see what Yahya can do with another crack at the edge of the top 15. Going up against the likes of Song Yadong, Casey Kenney or Cody Stamann would all be suitable picks there. All that said, a fight against someone like Alejandro Perez could be the endgame. Another longtime bantamweight division can’t seem to find any real traction in the discipline despite a career filled with wins in the UFC. Yahya battles Perez for another battle of well-rans divisions.

ADRIAN YANEZ

It was a real recognition of Yanez’s potential that he was able to side with a wild slugger like Davey Grant for three full innings and walk away winning. Grant may not be the cleanest striker in the league, but he’s proven time and time again that any prospect looking to beat him could face a terrible fight in the Premier League. this progress. Such a win should make fans and boxers aware, that Yanez is a 100% legit talent at 135 lbs. To that end, it’s time to start chatting with him with other top leads. Battles with Montel Jackson, Raulian Paiva or Chris Gutierrez will all be the next exciting battles. Among them, I would say the book Yanez vs. Jackson. ‘Quik’ more than 5-2 in his career in the Octagon, but has yet to really make a big leap for the tournament. A fight against Yanez would provide an opportunity for both men to turn recent success into a more serious attempt towards the top 15. Yanez vs. Jackson should be a battle of big prospects versus prospects.

PAT SABATINI

If Tucker Lutz has proven himself to be a more surprisingly functional kickboxer than the average wrestler turning to MMA, Pat Sabatini is proving that he’s just far more difficult to handle in the ring than the prospect. UFC is up average. Fighters to Sabatini to their hips are putting themselves in position for a very difficult night inside the Octagon. Sabatini was able to find his way to the ground every round and delivered a solid victory for it. The UFC could rebook his fight against Gavin Tucker for this win — anyway, it was a setback to Tucker’s notoriety, after his loss to Dan Ige. But, I also really want to see Sabatini play against another top driver. Someone like Kron Gracie or Herbert Burns. If Burns is ready to step into the cage again soon, Sabatini vs. Burns feels like a great opportunity for a top fight on the ground.

LUPITA GODINEZ

Short-term fights haven’t always benefited Godinez in her UFC career so far, but at this point she’s received four paychecks in eight months. And she’s also made a name for herself as a fighter ready to take down anyone at any time. If she can keep winning as she does, she’ll likely find herself with plenty of work left in the cage. She has a nice, steady power punch sequence to power from grappling to pose grappling, which will make her a tough fight for anyone who can’t stop her. take part in the blows. Lookboonmee couldn’t and Godinez walked away winning. She’s ready to fight anyone, whenever that makes predicting the next battle a bit difficult. At this time, I would say she should take it Jinh Yu Frey, whose size and power can pose some problems in establishing control. But the reality is that Godinez can end the fight with anyone from the newcomers to the next top 15 edge.

OTHER DOCTORS: Michael Chiesa and Li Jingliang, Joanne Wood vs. Antonina Shevchenko, Kyung Ho Kang and Nathaniel Wood, Davey Grant vs. Trevin Jones, Tucker Lutz and Jamall Emmers, Rafa Garcia compared to Alex da Silva, Natan Levy and Brandon Jenkins, Loma Lookboonmee compare to Kanako Murata, Cody Durden vs. Bruno Silva, Aori Qileng compared to CJ Vergara, Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs TJ Brown, Sean Soriano compare to Chase Hooper, Luana Pinheiro vs. Cheyanne Buy, Sam Hughes with Gloria de Paula