MMA Preview – Ketlen Vieira vs Raquel Pennington at UFC Vegas 67
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KETLEN VIEIRA VS RAQUEL PENNINGTON FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 217? Saturday 14th January, 2023 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 217? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 217? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 217 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 217? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
KETLEN VIEIRA VS RAQUEL PENNINGTON LOWDOWN
Although Ketlen Vieira (13-2) is coming off a controversial win, it was the biggest of her career which boosted her up to the number two spot in the bantamweight rankings. She managed to convince two of the judges that she did enough to earn a decision over the former champion Holly Holm (2022). That made it two decision wins in a row over former champions after a more convincing performance over Miesha Tate (2021).
Raquel Pennington (14-8) has not had much success over champions with losses to Amanda Nunes (2018), Germaine de Randamie (2018) and Holly Holm (2015 and 2020). However, after her last loss to Holm, she has been on a roll with unanimous decisions over Marion Reneau (2020) and Pannie Kianzad (2021), a submission over Macy Chiasson (2021) and another unanimous decision over Aspen Ladd in April last year.
KETLEN VIEIRA VS RAQUEL PENNINGTON PREDICTION
An impressive win here should put one of these ladies in title contention but neither of them do anything for Nunes and they will most likely have to do more work to earn a shot especially Pennington who called mauled by the Lioness.
Pennington will try and walk Vieira down, closing the distance with her boxing and mix in clinch work and takedowns to subdue the Brazilian. She has the power to control most bantamweights, but Vieira is also very strong and a black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu which makes this very interesting.
We expect this to be competitive everywhere with both fighters finding success on the feet and in the grappling exchanges. Vieira has the edge when it comes to jiu-jitsu and Pennington has the edge when it comes to experience and striking technique, particularly her defence.
We feel their skills will cancel each other for the most part preventing a finish so a decision is most likely. It can fall either way so go for the underdog.
Prediction: Vieira via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Pennington via Decision
