5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira

#2. Michel Pereira – defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio in a UFC welterweight bout

Michel Pereira's win over Santiago Ponzinibbio should make him a contender at welterweight

Last night’s best fight was unsurprisingly the welterweight clash between Michel Pereira and Santiago Ponzinibbio, and while it didn’t produce a finish, there was plenty of explosive action throughout the clash to pique the interest of the fans.

In the end, though, Pereira was the man who got his hand raised in what will be classed as the biggest win of his UFC career thus far. Judging by this, ‘Demolidor’ could go onto even bigger wins in the future.

Eschewing the wildman act that initially gave him his reputation, Pereira landed the heavier strikes on ‘Gente Boa’ throughout the clash, hurting him to the body with big hooks, and more to the point, he remained calm under a lot of pressure at times and largely refused to be drawn into a brawl.

If he can continue to fight like this, Pereira could well become an elite-level fighter at 170lbs. He’s got the athleticism and skills to do so, and if he can continue to play things a little safer like he did here – rather than exhausting himself with flips and tricks – then he’ll be a match for anyone.

Given that Ponzinibbio was ranked at No.14 coming into this clash, then ‘Demolidor’ should be faced with a top ten foe next.

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#1. Ketlen Vieira – defeated Holly Holm in a UFC bantamweight bout

Ketlen Vieira's win over Holly Holm may be enough to net her a title shot

Okay, so it’s safe to say that Ketlen Vieira’s win over Holly Holm probably didn’t come in the fashion that she’d have hoped it to. Not only did she fail to finish ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’, but many fans felt like she didn’t deserve the victory, which came via split decision.

However, the truth is that ‘Fenomeno’ probably did have a case for winning the fight, purely based on the second round. That stanza saw her snatch up a standing rear naked choke, a move that forced Holm’s face to turn purple.

It looked for a second like the fight would be over, but somehow Holm was able to gut it out, escaping moments later. Essentially, it was the only high point of what was a pretty dull outing – meaning that were PRIDE rules being used to judge, Vieira probably would’ve won anyway.

Despite the controversy, then, she’s got to be considered last night’s big winner, as for all intents and purposes, the clash was a de facto No.1 contender’s bout at 135lbs, as Holm came in ranked below only champion Julianna Pena and former champ Amanda Nunes.

Given that the two women are set to rematch in the upcoming months – and Vieira should move into Holm’s slot at No.2 now – then there’s definitely a case for ‘Fenomeno’ fighting for the title next time out.

If that’s the case, then fans will only hope that she can produce a more entertaining fight than she did last night, even if she did pick up a big victory.