Preview: UFC Vegas 107 Prelims

Women’s Bantamweights

Macy Chiasson (10-3, 8-3 UFC) vs. Ketlen Vieira (14-4, 8-4 UFC)

ODDS: Chiasson (-118), Vieira (-102)

The apparently impending return of Amanda Nunes gums up the works a bit, but the winner of this fight should still be in a strong position as far as title contention is concerned. It’s a bit surprising that Vieira still hasn’t made it to title challenger status, as the Brazilian has essentially been in the picture since her 2018 win over Cat Zingano. That was when Vieira was clicking on all cylinders as a powerful bully who could outlast her opponents, but the next few years wound up stalling her momentum. Injuries kept her out of action for the better part of two and a half years, with her lone fight during that time being a sudden knockout loss to Irene Aldana. That result seemingly put some doubt into Vieira’s mind in terms of applying consistent pressure and throwing consistent offense, but she has slowly recaptured her confidence to get back to her previous form as an effective grinder, at the very least doing enough to even drag Kayla Harrison into an ugly fight in October. Vieira looks to rebound from that Harrison loss against Chiasson, who has been a frustrating but promising prospect since she won “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2018. That season took place at featherweight, but with that division’s future perennially in doubt—and now apparently non-existent—she has spent most of her time at bantamweight, where her tall and reedy frame has been a double-edged sword. Chiasson can sometimes use her size and length to completely overwhelm her opponents, both with striking offense and an underrated grappling game, but her lack of core strength can just as often run her right into trouble against stouter fighters who aren’t so easily moved. Then there are the results that don’t even follow a clean dynamic. Chiasson was outwrestling Aldana until she fell victim to an upkick to the liver in 2022, and her most recent win saw her mostly losing to Mayra Bueno Silva before earning a cut stoppage victory. Anything seems possible in a Chiasson fight at this point, but while it wouldn’t be a shock if her more aggressive approach wins her some rounds or finds her a finish, the likeliest scenario does look to be Vieira staying sturdy and neutralizing the American in an absolute grind. The pick is Vieira via decision.

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