Vieira guts out split decision over Holm in UFC main event

Ketlen Vieira defeated former women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) in the UFC Fight Night main event Saturday in Las Vegas.

Vieira appeared to land the harder shots - while Holm was a bit busier - in what was a very competitive fight. Vieira landed several solid counter punches over the course of 25 minutes. Holm did her best work with her kicks.

Vieira almost sunk in a submission in the second round, wrapping up her opponent in a standing rear-naked choke before Holm miraculously escaped.

Holm stormed back to likely take Round 5 with a barrage of strikes, but it wasn't enough to secure the judges' nod.

With the victory, Vieira is now riding a two-fight winning streak and could be one victory away from a title shot in the women's 135-pound division. The Brazilian was coming off a decision triumph over former champ Miesha Tate last November.

Holm made her first Octagon appearance since her October 2020 win over Irene Aldana. The 40-year-old saw her two-fight winning streak end and suffered her first defeat since a July 2019 title fight against Amanda Nunes.