WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT BATTLE BETWEEN
(#2) HOLLY HOLM AND (#5) KETLEN VIEIRA
HEADLINES AT UFC® APEX
FEATURED BOUT:
SANTIAGO PONZINIBBIO vs. MICHEL PEREIRA
UFC® continues its run of shows at UFC APEX with a must-watch women’s bantamweight contenders’ bout featuring former champion and No. 2 ranked contender Holly Holm vs. No. 5 Ketlen Vieira. Also on the card, a welterweight matchup will see No. 14 ranked Santiago Ponzinibbio take on Michel Pereira.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: HOLM vs. VIEIRA will take place Saturday, May 21 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. All bouts will stream exclusively on ESPN+, with the prelims beginning at 4 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. PT and the main card at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT.
Just weeks before she gets inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, former three-division boxing champion Holm (14-5, fighting out of Albuquerque, NM) has been showing off her striking prowess since joining the UFC in 2015. Since then, she’s made a name for herself by securing numerous highlight-reel knockouts, such as her victories over Ronda Rousey and Bethe Correia. Now, Holm attempts to extend her two-fight win streak and reinsert herself into the title conversation.
Vieira (11-2, fighting out of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) looks to add another statement victory over a former champion to her resume. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, she holds impressive wins over Miesha Tate, Sara McMann and Cat Zingano. Vieira now intends to snatch Holm’s spot in the rankings in her second consecutive UFC main event.
The Ultimate Fighter Brazil alumnus Ponzinibbio (29-4, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) aims to work his way up the welterweight rankings with a showstopping performance. A skilled striker with 14 first-round knockouts, he has earned notable wins over Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson and Court McGee. Ponzinibbio now aims to defend his spot in the Top 15 against the surging Pereira.
Pereira (26-11, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV.) plans to deliver another impressive performance against the toughest opponent of his career. The owner of 12 first-round finishes, Pereira has entertained fans with his victories over Danny Roberts, Niko Price and Andre Fialho. Now, Pereira hopes to further cement his welterweight run and break into the rankings for the first time.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- A clash of Dana White’s Contender Series alums sees Chidi Njokuani (21-7, 1 NC, fighting out of Saginaw, Texas) take on Dusko Todorovic (11-2, fighting out of Belgrade, Serbia)
- Jailton Almeida (15-2, fighting out of Salvador-Bahia, Brazil) makes his UFC heavyweight debut against Parker Porter (13-6, fighting out of West Hartford, Conn.)
- Eryk Anders (14-6, 1 NC, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.) battles Junyong Park (13-5, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) in a middleweight bout
- Middleweights Joseph Holmes (7-2, fighting out of Garland, Texas) and Alen Amedovski (8-2, fighting out of Rome, Italy) lock horns
- Polyana Viana (12-4, fighting out of State of Para, Brazil) meets Tabatha Ricci (6-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) in an exciting strawweight bout
- Lightweight strikers Omar Morales (11-2, fighting out of Miami, Fla. by way of Caracas, Venezuela) and Uros Medic (7-1, fighting out of Santa Ana, Calif. by way of Novi Sad, Serbia) square off
- Thrilling bantamweights Jonathan Martinez (15-4, fighting out of Plainview, Texas) and Vince Morales (11-6, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) look to steal the show
- An intriguing featherweight bout sees Chase Hooper (10-2-1, fighting out of Enumclaw, Wash.) return to action against Felipe Colares (10-3, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Elise Reed (5-1, fighting out of Hillsborough, N.J.) matches up with Sam Hughes (6-4, fighting out of Everett, Wash.) at strawweight
Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.
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