UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 19: Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis predictions and picks

#2 UFC Bantamweight division: Ketlen Vieira vs. Yana Kunitskaya

Ketlen Vieira was close to a UFC title shot in 2018 before being sidelined with injuries.

In terms of name value, this co-main event is definitely lacking. However, both of these women are highly skilled fighters. And in the thin UFC Bantamweight division, they may well be closer to a title shot than you might think.

Many people figured Vieira would’ve had her shot by this point. Fenomeno burst into the UFC in 2015 and reeled off two wins. She then made a big step up by largely dominating former title challengers Sara McMann and Cat Zingano.

Those wins had her on the cusp of a shot at UFC Bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes, only for injuries to strike. Vieira was kept out of action for 21 months, and when she returned, she was knocked out by Irene Aldana.

Since then, the Brazilian has picked up one UFC win over Sijara Eubanks last September.

Kunitskaya, meanwhile, came into the UFC in March 2018 as the surprise challenger for Cris Cyborg’s UFC Featherweight title. She lost by TKO but has since put together three wins at Bantamweight, along with one loss to top prospect Aspen Ladd.

This should be an interesting, if potentially dull, fight. Vieira is primarily a smothering grappler, and while her win over Eubanks showed some stand-up improvements, she’ll definitely be looking to ground Foxy on Saturday.

Kunitskaya, on the other hand, is a striker by trade. But her clinch-based style has meant that she’s never finished an opponent in the UFC.

Aldana showed that Vieira is definitely beatable if an opponent can keep her at distance. However, Kunitskaya’s penchant for clinching means that repeating Aldana’s gameplan is unlikely.

Instead, I suspect these two will close the distance quickly. And unless Kunitskaya can get some real damage off before she’s taken down, then it’ll be Vieira’s fight to lose.

The Pick: Vieira via unanimous decision