Saturday will mark Holm’s first appearance since earning a unanimous decision win over Irene Aldana on Fight Island on October 4, 2020. Since then, “The Preacher’s Daughter” has been scheduled to compete twice, but forced out each time, once due to a medical issue, and then by a knee injury.
Vieira cemented her standing as one of the top contenders in the 135-pound weight class last November, bouncing back from a questionable split decision loss to Yana Kunitskaya in February with a “no doubt about it” decision win over Miesha Tate. The 30-year-old Nova Uniao representative has been on the brink of challenging for championship gold for a couple years now, and a victory over Holm could finally earn her that opportunity.
Along with being a pivotal fight in terms of the championship chase, this is a compelling stylistic matchup as well, as each woman is best known for one skill — Holm as a kickboxer, Vieira as a grappler — yet each has shown greater diversity and consistent improvement in the other parts of their games. Holm has a wealth of experience in five-round fights, but Vieira grew stronger as her main event debut opposite Tate progressed, so it will be interesting to see which of these two is able to control this contest and establish herself as the No. 1 contender in the bantamweight division.
Don’t Miss Holly Holm’s Return
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Michel Pereira
Welterweights looking to make a push into the Top 10 meet in the co-main event this weekend, as Santiago Ponzinibbio squares of with Michel Pereira.
Ponzinibbio made his return to action after more than two years away last year, competing three times and reminding everyone why he’s been a fixture in the welterweight division for the last half-dozen years. After dropping his first appearance to Li Jingliang, the “Argentine Dagger” collected a unanimous decision win over Miguel Baeza before battling Geoff Neal shot-for-shot for 15 minutes at UFC 269.
Pereira built on his two-fight winning streak to close out 2020 with a victory in his lone appearance of 2021, and already extended his run of success to four by defeating Andre Fialho earlier this year. The 28-year-old Brazilian has reined in the wildness during the course of his winning streak, showing more craft and skill, while remaining a threat to unleash something crazy at all times.
