LAS VEGAS, Nevada — UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira, which will be headlined by two of the premier bantamweight women in the world, will also feature a highly-anticipated women's strawweight showdown when the promotion returns to the Fight Capital of the World on the third Saturday in May.
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira takes place Saturday, May 21st at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will feature a women's bantamweight showdown between former UFC champion Holly "The Preacher's Daughter" Holm and Brazilian standout Ketlen "Fenomeno" Vieira. The main card will also feature the return of BJJ and Judo black belt Tabatha "Baby Shark" Ricci as she faces a surging promotional star Polyana "Dama de Ferro" Viana. The entire main card will be available worldwide on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT.
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WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT SHOWDOWN:
Ricci (6-1) returns to the UFC Octagon after experiencing a meteoric rise in the division after returning to the sport in 2020. She began her journey into the world of martial arts at 6-years-old by learning Judo from her father and Judo master Carlos "Trovão" Salto in her native Birigui, SP, Brazil. After training in other martial arts and winning two professional MMA fights shortly after turning 18-years-old, Ricci traveled the world to train. She earned a black belt in Judo from Michihiro Omigawa at the Kodokan in Tokyo, Japan and a black belt in BJJ from Ricardo "Franjinha" Miller at Paragon BJJ in Ventura, California. She then returned to MMA with world-class grappling in her arsenal. "Baby Shark" was signed to the UFC after winning 3 fights with the LFA in just 9 months and now looks to go 2-0 as a UFC strawweight.
Viana (12-4) is an established UFC star from São Geraldo do Araguaia, which is located in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil. The 29-year-old is a brown belt in BJJ and currently trains under Diego Lima at the Chute Boxe Academy in São Paulo, SP, Brazil. In January 2019, she gained international attention from mainstream news outlets after stopping a would-be mugger outside her apartment in Brazil. Viana punched the man, who was using a fake gun, and subdued him until the police arrived. The woman known as "Dama de Ferro" (Iron Lady) has competed in the UFC six-times over the past four years and submitted her last two UFC opponents via armbar in the first round. The most recent win earned her a Performance of the Night bonus and has her on the verge of cracking the UFC rankings.
Main Card:
Main Event | Women's Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Holly Holm (14-5) vs. Ketlen Vieira (12-2)
Co-Main Event | Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
Santiago Ponzinibbio (28-5) vs. Michel Pereira (27-11)
Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
Chidi Njokuani (21-7) vs. Duško Todorović (11-2)
Women's Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
Polyana Viana (12-4) vs. Tabatha Ricci (6-1)
Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
Eryk Anders (14-6) vs. Jun Yong Park (13-5)
Preliminary Card:
Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
Joseph Holmes (7-2) vs. Alen Amedovski (8-2)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
Parker Porter (13-6) vs. Jailton Almeida (15-2)
Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
Omar Morales (11-2) vs. Uros Medic (7-1)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Jonathan Martinez (15-4) vs. Vince Morales (11-5)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
Chase Hooper (10-2-1) vs. Felipe Colares (10-3)
Women's Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
Elise Reed (5-1) vs. Sam Hughes (6-4)