Athletes
Ketlen Vieira Is Ready To Claim Her Title Shot
Longtime Women's Bantamweight Contender Plans To Earn Her First UFC Title Shot With Victory Over Fellow Contender Norma Dumont
Ketlen Vieira has been in the UFC since 2016, and it feels like she's been there or thereabouts in the race for the women's bantamweight title throughout that time. But now, as she prepares to make the walk to the Octagon for the 14th time, she thinks the time has finally come to make a run at the title.
Vieira takes on Norma Dumont at UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs Onama at the UFC APEX on Saturday in a matchup that could offer the same high stakes for both women, with the two Brazilian contenders both eyeing a shot at championship gold in 2026.
Saturday's Full Fight Preview
That was certainly Vieira's view when she sat down with UFC.com ahead of their bout, as she set the scene ahead of their pivotal 135-pound clash in Las Vegas.
"I know it's not formalized yet, but I think that because of our position on the rankings, of the fact that those above us have had a shot at a title, I do believe that the winner of this fight will be having a shot at the title," she said.
Standing on the cusp of a title shot isn't a new feeling for Vieira, who has been close to a title fight before. But now she says she's ready to go that extra yard to get the victory and secure a shot at the belt.
"Even though I've actually been in this position, I've been in this situation before, I'm very motivated," she said.
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"I think everything happens in God's time, and I'm very excited and motivated for this fight."
The fight pits two veterans of the Octagon head-to-head in an all-Brazilian battle that could easily have happened earlier in their careers. But the two compatriots will finally face off this weekend, and Vieira said she's excited for the matchup.
"I think that we knew that at one point, sooner or later, things are going to narrow down, and there's kind of a funnel to go through to get to the championship," she admitted.
"As Brazilians, we try not to cross paths with each other because of the fact that there's only a few of us in the division. But I think this is something that was bound to happen, and we're very excited about this fight."
Vieira will be facing a fighter who has competed at both 135 and 145 pounds in the UFC. Since dropping back down to bantamweight, Dumont has defeated former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie and former bantamweight title challenger Irene Aldana to put herself within touching distance of a title shot.
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Now, Vieira and Dumont head into their matchup ranked third and fourth, respectively.
"I think she's done a lot of great things throughout this journey, and she's earned that fourth position in the ranking," she said.
"And I think that she's just like me – she's a Brazilian fighter that has worked a lot to get here, and we are both going to be fighting for our dream on Saturday."
Since the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, Vieira has gone 4-2 in the Octagon, with her two losses coming against championship-level opposition in Raquel Pennington and Kayla Harrison. Notably, neither was able to finish her as she battled both women to the scorecards in non-title fights.
Most recently, Vieira defeated Macy Chiasson in May to bounce back from her defeat to Harrison, who went on to capture the women's bantamweight title later in her next fight.
"I think that fight was really important, because I think it was the fight to make," she explained.
"I'd just come back from the battle against Kayla. I think it was a perfect fight to actually have, and it was a good fight for me to prepare for.
"After that fight, you can see a different Ketlen, a Ketlen that's more aggressive, and someone that's going to be different from before and be ready and active all the time."
Ultimately, Vieira wants to get herself into a position to challenge for the women's bantamweight title, and that could potentially mean a rematch with the last woman to defeat her.
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While she may have come away from her first fight with Harrison with a loss, Vieira now has 15 valuable minutes of fight time with Harrison. And, when asked about a possible rematch some way down the line, Vieira said that fine margins proved the difference in their first meeting, and that things would go differently if they do battle again with championship gold on the line.
"I think that I come out with an advantage if I have a rematch against Kayla," she said.
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"Because, if you think about it, everybody just kind of painted that picture of her as just this world-beater that gets all she wants against everybody.
"But, if you look at it percentage-wise, if you look at her takedown attempts, basically she got like two takedowns on me, and I was able to stuff most of them. So I was able to actually stifle that style for the most part.
"We have a saying in Brazil that relates to soccer, 'If you don't make it, you take it,' which is like, 'If you don't score a goal, they're going to score on you.' And basically, that's what happened in that fight. Those two takedowns were in two mistakes, and it ended up happening to me."
But Vieira knows that, before any possibility of a rematch with Harrison can become reality, she will have to continue adding wins to her record, including on Saturday night against Dumont.
And, as she mentally prepares herself for the battle ahead, Vieira said she uses visualization to map out all the different scenarios that could take her to victory.
"I think when it comes to visualizing and just picturing what happens in a fight, I will always do that, but I always try to be to keep that thought positive, and I always think of positive things happening," she said
"If I picture myself going down to the ground, I picture myself finishing that fight. If I picture myself going to a takedown game, I'm imagining myself to doing the takedowns and stifling their takedowns with my defense. If I think of myself in a striking battle, I picture myself knocking someone out.
"I think the fight goes beyond the physical and beyond the mental. But whatever happens, I picture myself getting my arm raised on Saturday."
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And when asked to give us an early prediction of how the action might play out on fight night, Vieira said fans can expect an exciting encounter between two fighters who will leave it all in the Octagon in their quest for a title shot.
"I've always said that when that (Octagon) door closes, it's 50-50, and it can go either way," she said.
"I think it could be a short fight (or) it could be a long battle. But I'll tell you what, she's going to be fighting for her dream, I'm going to be fighting for mine, and what I do know is that it's going to be a great fight."
UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs Onama took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas on November 1, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!