UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate

The UFC is back in its Las Vegas APEX this weekend for UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate.

This UFC Fight Night looks like a watchable card, even if it’s a little low on name value in comparison to some of the UFC’s recent events.

With a number of high-level contenders on offer – including a potential title eliminator in the main event – it’s a show that should definitely be worth checking out.

Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate.

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#1. UFC bantamweight division: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate

Miesha Tate looked better than ever in her recent comeback fight with Marion Reneau

If you rewind back to 2018, it seemed almost certain that Ketlen Vieira was on the fast track to a shot at the UFC bantamweight title.

‘Fenomeno’ debuted in the octagon in late 2016, and quickly reeled off four straight victories, including very impressive ones over former title challengers Sara McMann and Cat Zingano.

Sure, Vieira didn’t look like the best finisher, but her stifling ground game appeared to make her a tricky match for anyone that the UFC had to offer. Fans quickly began to discuss a possible fight with Amanda Nunes.

However, disaster then struck. Vieira suffered a severe knee injury that sidelined her for over a year. When she returned, she suffered a devastating knockout at the hands of Irene Aldana.

Since then, ‘Fenomeno’ has gone 1-1 in the UFC, beating Sijara Eubanks before falling to Yana Kunitskaya in a disappointing showing that saw her also miss weight.

Now ranked at No.7 in the division, a win here probably wouldn’t put her in line for a crack at Nunes. However, it would move her closer, and would almost definitely give her the biggest win of her career.

That’s because – Ronda Rousey and Nunes aside – Miesha Tate is still probably the biggest star that the UFC’s bantamweight division has produced.

‘Cupcake’ returned to action earlier this year after five years in retirement, but didn’t appear to have lost a step in an impressive win over Marion Reneau.

The most interesting thing was that, at the age of 35, Tate looked to be in the best physical shape of her life. She was never out of shape per say, but seems to have worked a lot on her strength and explosiveness, and completely overwhelmed Reneau in their clash.

This fight, then, should come down to who can control exactly where it takes place. A strong amateur wrestler, Tate’s grappling was always solid – allowing her to beat foes like Holly Holm and Jessica Eye.

‘Cupcake’ also has an underrated striking game, another aspect she seems to have worked on during her time away from the UFC. Sure, she’ll never be a concussive striker like Nunes, but she’s definitely a much crisper boxer than she once was.

Based on what we’ve seen from Vieira, Tate probably has the edge on the feet in this fight, meaning ‘Fenomeno’ will look to impose her grappling, most likely by taking ‘Cupcake’ down early and controlling her there.

The issue she’s going to have, though, is that Tate looks to be the superior athlete, meaning that Vieira may find it hard to get her off her feet. It may well be the case, in fact, that Tate can take her down instead.

Essentially, it’s easy to forget, but the only women to really handle Tate in the UFC were Rousey, Nunes and Zingano. Sure, Raquel Pennington also beat her, but it’s probably fair to say that by that stage, Tate’s head wasn’t in the game.

Therefore, based on how good she looked against Reneau, does Vieira have enough to beat her? In all honesty, the answer is no – leading to a ‘Cupcake’ win and a potential title shot in 2022.

The Pick: Tate via third round TKO

Here are the Latest UFC Predictions by Sportskeeda

#2. UFC welterweight division: Michael Chiesa vs. Sean Brady

Michael Chiesa has been largely successful since moving to 170lbs in 2018

It might not get much attention from the UFC's more casual fans, but this welterweight bout could be the best one on this card. Will the winner head into a UFC title shot against Kamaru Usman? Probably not – but there’s definitely a chance they could get there in time.

Of the two, Michael Chiesa is obviously the more well-known commodity. The winner of TUF 15 back in 2012, ‘Maverick’ floated around the UFC for years as a high level lightweight, but not really one who was going to contend for the title.

However, a move to 170lbs in 2018 completely changed his career around. He reeled off four straight wins, including two over high-level contenders in Rafael dos Anjos and Neil Magny, before being derailed somewhat by Vicente Luque in August.

Chiesa’s game is all about his strength, power and top control. Not a natural striker despite his lanky frame, ‘Maverick’ tends to rush his opponents in order to clinch with them. He then looks to drag them down in order to abuse them with ground-and-pound or hunt for chokes.

His weaknesses are pretty clear: if an opponent can keep him standing, then he’s open to being hit. He’s also surprisingly susceptible to submission attacks, with four of his five UFC losses coming via tapout.

So can Sean Brady capitalize on those weaknesses? Based on what we’ve seen from him so far, it is possible.

Brady hasn’t garnered much attention to date, but he’s gone 4-0 in the UFC. He hasn’t been fighting scrubs either, as he dealt with Court McGee, Ismail Naurdiev and Jake Matthews impressively – finishing the latter with an arm triangle choke.

A Gracie jiu-jitsu student, Brady clearly has a high-level grappling game and, like Chiesa, he possesses some remarkable wrestling skills considering he didn’t achieve anything noteworthy in that sport at the collegiate level.

He’s also a sizeable welterweight – albeit somewhat shorter than the 6’1” Chiesa – and seems to have a solid striking game too, largely based around his boxing skills.

Ignoring the gap in wrestling credentials, Brady seems to fight a lot like Chris Weidman did in his early days in the UFC, largely using his striking skills to set up a more dangerous grappling arsenal.

Basically, this should come down to whether Brady can prevent Chiesa from imposing his will on him with his takedowns. If Chiesa finds he can get Brady down and stick to him like glue, then he’s likely to pull off a decision win based on back control and choke attempts.

However, if he can’t do that, then there’s every chance that Brady can catch him with something nasty in the transition, similar to how Luque did in Chiesa’s last fight.

Overall, ‘Maverick’ should be the favorite and he’s the pick here, but Brady is a very lively underdog and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see him pull it off.

The Pick: Chiesa via unanimous decision

#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

Exciting striker Adrian Yanez features on this weekend's main card

In a bantamweight fight, Rani Yahya takes on Kyung Ho Kang. Quite how Yahya is even still in the UFC is a mystery – the grappling ace is now 37 and has been competing in MMA since 2002. However, he’s still dangerous on the mat, as he showed when he submitted Ray Rodriguez in March.

Kang on the other hand is more dynamic, as he’s an explosive fighter who loves to grapple and exchange positions wildly on the ground. However, ‘Mr Perfect’ may not be as slick as Yahya.

This should be close to call, as Kang may use his youth and explosiveness to wear Yahya out, but he does leave himself open somewhat. The pick is Kang by decision, but to see Yahya win by tapout wouldn’t be a shock.

In a flyweight bout, Joanne Wood faces Taila Santos. Despite a middling record, Wood is still one of the division’s better fighters, with skills in all areas and a dangerous clinch striking game in particular.

Santos is more unproven, but this is her chance to really break into title contention after winning her last three bouts. It’s a tough one to call, but Santos doesn’t seem like the powerful type of fighter who usually gives Wood issues, so ‘Jo Jo’ via decision is the pick.

Finally, Davey Grant faces Adrian Yanez in a bantamweight bout. This one should be fantastic to watch, as both men are aggressive to a fault and neither is likely to back down. However, Grant is not the most durable fighter, while Yanez has shown deadly striking skills and is also a ruthless finisher. Yanez via KO is the pick.

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#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

UFC featherweight division: Tucker Lutz vs. Pat Sabatini

UFC lightweight division: Rafa Garcia vs. Natan Levy

UFC strawweight division: Loma Lookboonmee vs. Lupita Godinez

UFC lightweight division: Fares Ziam vs. Terrance McKinney

UFC flyweight division: Cody Durden vs. Qileng Aori

UFC featherweight division: Sean Soriano vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke

UFC strawweight division: Luana Pinheiro vs. Sam Hughes