In the main event of UFC Vegas 43, top-10 bantamweights were set to collide as Ketlen Vieira was set for her first main event against the former champ in Miesha Tate.
Vieira entered the fight coming off a decision loss to Yana Kunitskaya and was just 1-2 in her last three fights. Tate, meanwhile, was coming off a TKO win over Marion Reneau in July which was her comeback fight after retiring in 2016.
In the end, it was Vieira winning a clear-cut decision as she outstruck Tate on the feet. Now, after the event, here is what I think should be next for Vieira and Tate.
Ketlen Vieira
Ketlen Vieira was someone many thought would fight for UFC gold sometime in her career. The Brazilian started out her career 10-0 where she was 4-0 in the UFC including wins over Cat Zingano and Ashlee Evans-Smith. Yet, she then suffered a KO loss to Irene Aldana and went 1-2 before the win over Tate.
Now that she beat Tate, and due to the lack of contenders at bantamweight, the Brazilian is closing in on a title shot. With that, Vieira will likely return sometime near the end of the first quarter of 2022. She has plenty of options for her next fight, but if the UFC wants to put her in a potential number one contender fight, a scrap against Germaine de Randamie makes sense as GDR needs an opponent and the timeline could make sense.
Miesha Tate
Miesha Tate was likely going to get a title shot had she beat Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 43 but that didn’t happen as she came up short.
Although Tate did lose, she still seems confident in her ability to get a title shot eventually and reclaim the title. “Cupcake” will likely take some time off but when she returns, the most logical matchup is to do the rematch with Holly Holm. Both Holm and Tate are out of the picture and the storyline is there for them to rematch in the main event of a Fight Night card sometime in early to mid-2022. The winner would also be close to a title fight and getting another crack at Nunes.
Who do you think should be next for Ketlen Vieira and Miesha Tate after UFC Vegas 43?