All Ketlen Vieira needed to do Saturday to notch a win over Pannie Kianzad was drag the fight to the ground.
At UFC Fight Night 224, Vieira (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) defeated Kianzad (16-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The bantamweight bout at The O2 in London was a smothering, one-sided performance between two UFC-ranked contenders.
In each round, Vieira quickly dragged the fight to the canvas with relatively no issue at all. Despite the dominant control, Vieira was unable to lock in a submission, though there were attempts. She tried an arm-triangle choke, but Kianzad evaded the finish.
Midway through the final round, Kianzad found a way to finally turn the tables. She reversed Vieira on the ground and ended up on top. Despite her visible urgency, Kianzad was unable to muster up significant offense and the horn sounded with her on top.
With the victory, Vieira reenters the win column after a split decision loss to Raquel Pennington in January. She is 3-1 in her most recent four. On the flip side, Kianzad loses her second fight in a row and falls to 1-3 in her most recent four.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 224 results include:
- Ketlen Vieira def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bruna Brasil def. Shauna Bannon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jafel Filho def. Daniel Barez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:27
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
