UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes only fought once in 2022, avenging a previous loss to Julianna Pena and re-claiming the bantamweight title. Ketlen Vieira, a fellow Brazilian talent is not happy with the pace she’s running.
Vieira won decisions over former titleholders Holly Holm and Miesha Tate in her most recent octagon appearances and expected it to be enough to secure a shot at “The Lioness”, but decided to pause her online campaign and go after another victory in the cage instead, battling Raquel Pennington at UFC Vegas 67.
” I can’t wait any longer, particularly because my finances aren’t in good shape yet,” Vieira stated on the Trocacao Franca Podcast. “I need to fight. I don’t get paid as a champion yet. Only if I fight I get paid. I don’t have the financial stability to pay for title shots for more than a year or two months. I spend a lot of money making sure I’m training at a high level and evolving every day. We decided to fight .”
for all of that and make sure we don’t get inactive.
” We took the fight as we did not want to delay, but it was a fight we felt made sense.” she said. “To me, Raquel is a fight that makes a lot of sense because she has the longest winning streak in the division now. I just fought two former champions and now I’m fighting the woman that has the longest winning streak. You can’t cut corners if you want to become a champion. … I will fight God if I have to .”
another three or four times.
Vieira does not believe she needs to finish Saturday or change her personality in order to impress UFC matchmakers.
” I have to meet my obligations which are train and fight,” she stated. There will be no other place to race eventually. If I’m destined to be champion, I will. I don’t have to change who I am for that. If that [style] has brought me here, then it means I’m on the right path. … Raquel Pennington is a very experienced athlete and has been in the UFC for many years, she already fought for the belt, so I think it’s a great test for me. Nothing you do inside the cage will be new to her because she’s been through every situation before, so it will add a lot to me.”
Vieira believes it is her destiny to fight for the UFC championship belt and she would be proud to face a legend such as Nunes.
“I respect Amanda’s story a lot, and she’s a huge inspiration because she a Brazilian that have conquered so much,” Vieira said, “so I’m proud of that legacy of hers, but it’s my dream on the line here. If one day I have to fight her I will do it very respectfully, and it will be an honor to me. For my .”
dream, I will fight to the death.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/14/23550592/ketlen-vieira-raquel-pennington-fight-cant-wait-entire-life-ufc-champ-amanda-nunes?rand=96749
