Miesha Tate’s attempt to battle her way back to the top of the women’s bantamweight division continues on Saturday night when she faces Ketlen Vieira in the main event of UFC Fight Night. A win would bring Tate one step closer to a rematch with division champion Amanda Nunes, who won the belt from Tate at UFC 200 in July 2016.
One fight after losing to Nunes, Tate retired from active competition, seemingly ending a storied career that saw Tate emerge as one of the sport’s top female stars through her rivalry with Ronda Rousey and run to the top of the division with a championship-winning performance against Holly Holm. Tate would go on to take on an executive role with ONE Championship and have two children before announcing a return to the Octagon after five years away.
Tate’s return would prove a successful one, as she stopped Marion Reneau with punches in the third round of their July clash, picking up a Performance of the Night bonus for her efforts. Tate was then set to face Vieira before the fight was delayed from its planned Oct. 16 date after Tate tested positive for COVID-19.
Vieira is a tough fight for anyone, with a 5-2 Octagon record. She has hit a bit of a rough patch as of late, however, with a 1-2 record since December 2019. Those losses came via knockout against Irene Aldana and by decision to Yana Kunitskaya. Still, Vieira has wins over tough competition, including Sijara Eubanks, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.
All but two of Vieira’s UFC fights have gone to the judges’ scorecards and she has not scored a stoppage victory since submitting McMann in September 2017.
Here’s the fight card for UFC Fight Night with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
|
Miesha Tate -110 |
Ketlen Vieira -110 |
Women’s bantamweight |
|
Sean Brady -180 |
Michael Chiesa +155 |
Welterweight |
|
Kyung Ho Kang -115 |
Rani Yahya -105 |
Bantamweight |
| Taila Santos -340 |
Joanne Calderwood +270 | Women’s flyweight |
| Adrian Yanez -310 |
Davey Grant +250 |
Bantamweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: Nov. 20 | Start time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: UFC Apex — Las Vegas, Nevada
Stream: ESPN+
Prediction
Miesha Tate vs. Ketlen Vieira: Tate’s return fight against Reneau was odd because Reneau had already announced it would be her last fight ahead of retirement. Still, Reneau fought hard and gave Tate a legitimate test, landing some hard shots before Tate’s wrestling game took over. Vieira will have to land the better shots standing while also managing distance to keep Tate from getting inside where she can get takedowns. When Tate is able to work her takedown game, she is a dominant fighter. Of note, Vieira has defended 92% of attempted takedowns in her seven UFC fights. Sara McMann, a former Olympic silver medalist wrestler, only managed to score on one of her five takedown attempts in their fight. This will be an extremely tough fight for both women but is Vieira’s fight to win if she can keep the fight standing and survive Tate’s heavy pressure early. Pick: Ketlen Vieira via UD
