UFC Vegas 43 results and video: Vieira earns tough decision against Tate, Brady beats Chiesa

The UFC Vegas 43 main card saw four of the five fights go away, but ended with promotion program bantamweight #7, Ketlen Vieira, winning in a tough decision against the 135th champion pounds, former Miesha Tate. Vieira used her heavy hands against a pressuring Tate, and was able to fend off takedown attempts to get the winning goal. Ketlen is now back on the winning column and gearing up for another big battle.

Prior to that, the co-main event saw the UFC’s 14th runner-up, Sean Brady, beat out the 6th-placed Michael Chiesa for a unanimous decision. The fight was pretty competitive, with Brady mostly succeeding on the ground, while Chiesa oddly did his best job on feet. Brady remained undefeated and moved into a 15-0 inch career. Which top boxer would you like to meet next?

The first finish of the night came in the women’s flyweight division when 10th place, Taila Santos, dropped 5th place, Joanne Wood, twice with heavy hands before winning the RNC in the first round. Santos has great looks, and after failing to make her UFC debut, she’s on four straight wins. This victory will put her at the top of a tournament where there seems to be no real challenger to the champion.

Longtime UFC bantamweight Rani Yahya overcame injury on a couple of occasions to win a unanimous decision against Kyung Ho Kang. Yahya was splashed with hot water on her feet, but was able to neutralize Kang on the floor. Rani is currently unbeaten in three matches.

Shooting the main card of UFC Vegas 43, Adrian Yanez secured an unfortunate split victory over Davey Grant in a very precise game. Both men gave all they had, with a lot of strikes shared between the two. When the decision was made, two referees gave a fight score of 29-28 to Yanez, and one official gave a 30-27 rating to Grant. How did you score this? Regardless of the special scorecard, Yanez got off to a great 4-0 start in the UFC.

**See full results below

Main card:

Ketlen Vieira def. Miesha Tate unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47 x2): (W) Bantamweight

Vieira came on the field and asserted that he was immediately the more powerful puncher. Since then, both fighters have taken a somewhat cautious approach. Tate was outside, trying to stay away from Vieira’s interception. Tate decided to explode after her punches to hold on, but Vieira quickly freed herself. Vieira shot to knock it down, but Tate was sprawled on top of her by the end of the round.

Vieira started the second half with some big punches to an advancing Tate. Things heated up when Miesha fired back, connected to a rather large right arm of hers. She even connected with a front kick that took Vieira by surprise. Tate was doing a basic job of moving her head, but when Vieira connected, she reminded everyone of her power advantage. Vieira also successfully prevented takedown attempts during this round.

The third half saw an accidental eye poke from Tate that brought the game to a brief halt. Tate is actually trying to make her stab, but seems nervous about what might come back her way. Vieira sat back to counterattack, which allowed Miesha to adjust the pace. As soon as Vieira started connecting with her hands, Tate rushed in to make a takedown attempt. Vieira remained firmly on her feet, but Tate backed away and unleashed a series of vicious knee-kicks into the body.

Tate opened the fourth frame with pressure and a large right hand. She was able to take it down, but Vieira quickly stood up. The former champion was still pressed against the fence by Vieira and grounded with short punches. In the open space, they traded leather goods, and then, they traded more attacks. It was a pretty close round to the end with Vieira punching him straight in the face and Tate throwing his knee at him.

Tate was still trying to get inside, but it took a few punches to get there. Sometimes she succeeds, but other times she doesn’t. Such a case resulted in Tate’s nose being blown open. Tate was unable to take it down and tried to meaningfully hurt Vieira. She kept trying, poking from the face and putting pressure on Vieira. When all was said and done, Tate’s left eye was severely swollen, but Vieira proved no worse for the outfit.

Sean Brady objected. Michael Chiesa unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Welterweight

The match opened with an accidental eye poke from Chiesa, bringing the game to a quick halt. When starting over, Chiesa accidentally pokes Brady in the eye again to prolong another timeout. The fight finally broke out and when they rounded up, Brady earned himself a kill. Chiesa stood up, but soon he was knocked down. It took some effort, but Chiesa is finally back in the open air.

The second stanza spends a lot of time in open space. Chiesa is making some sneaky left crosses that hit the post. Brady finally had enough of it and closed the gap on the clamp. Since then, he’s worked hard on the takedown, and even though Chiesa was up against it, Brady still took him down. Chiesa had given up on her back for quite some time, but was still safe until the bell rang.

Brady closed the gap again in the final round, but the boxers mutually decided to return to the open space. That’s where Chiesa started letting go. He combined his punches and he was on the ground. Brady returned to his grappling, bringing Chiesa to the mat. He goes back to the backpack position, and that’s where the fight slows down. It took a while for Chiesa to get up. He took a few hits before slamming a knockdown of his own. He went to full mount and retired until the time was up.

Taila Santos resists. Joanne Wood by submitting (RNC) at 4:49 of round 1: (W) Flyweight

Wood weathered the storm early from Santos and began attacking with jabs and kicks. Santos was more boxing-focused, looking to punch Wood’s kicks straight. A powerful right hand from Santos knocked her opponent down, and when Wood quickly got to his feet, she fell again. Santos stepped back and sank a rear ceiling shock absorber to get the hose!

Rani Yahya protested. Kyung Ho Kang by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Bantamweight

It didn’t take long for Yahya to jump on one foot and have Kang at his side to protect him. Kang eventually worked to free himself, and began targeting Yahya with thrusts in the open air. Then, a massive right hand knocked Yahya down, but Kang wisely chose not to follow his foe to the floor. The round ended with Yahya pulling the half-guard deep. Yahya passes an early leg kick from Kang to take the top spot. He then stepped back and held position as he landed. Kang didn’t get back on his feet until the round was over. Kang chased Yahya in the final round, rocking him and forcing a desperate blow. Kang took the top spot, but it wasn’t long before Yahya launched a sweep and came in first. Tons of short punches landed on Yahya before the bell rang.

Adrian Yanez objected. Davey Grant by split decision (29-28 x2, 27-30): Bantamweight

Yanez took over the focus immediately with a slow pressure, looking to land basic boxing combinations. Grant appeared comfortable on the outside, setting up unorthodox rotation attacks. The longer the fight dragged on, the more Yanez came to life. He began to respond to Grant with powerful punches, causing red around his nose.

The second half started equally hot with Yanez pressing forward. Grant let his kicks go to the head and legs, while Yanez kept his punches. An accidental eye poke from Grant causes the action to pause briefly, but is quickly resumed. Grant struggled to take it down on reboot, but Yanez didn’t. The boxer walks and walks on foot, with both men connected. The longer the scuffle went on, the more Grant landed.

These warriors stand right in front of each other and swap leathers back and forth to start the final round. One would land something clean, and then the other would retaliate with something like that. Grant is a bloody mess while Yanez looks relatively peaceful. Yanez was launching his thrust to face the advancing Grant, and was rolling with his large right hand back in his way.