Fight Coverage
Matchup To Watch | Ketlen Vieira vs Macy Chiasson
Breaking Down A Pivotal Bantamweight Bout On This Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Barber
The women’s bantamweight belt is going up for grabs next week when champion Julianna Peña defends her title against Kayla Harrison, but question marks surround what comes next for the winner of the June 7 bout. There is some speculation that former two-division champion and soon-to-be Hall of Fame member Amanda Nunes might come out of retirement to face either woman, but if that isn’t the case, either Ketlen Vieira or Macy Chiasson could put themselves on the on-deck circle with a win on May 31.
The two bantamweight contenders head into UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Barber with title aspirations, and a win over a fellow top 5 contender could garner enough momentum to put themselves in the title conversation.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
Before they lock horns in the UFC APEX, let’s take a deeper look into the matchup:
Ketlen Vieira
“Fenômeno” entered the UFC with a 6-0 record and some high expectations coming out of Brazil, and she lived up the hype in her first year-and-a-half on the roster. She racked up four wins in that timespan, including victories over former title challengers Sara McMann and Cat Zingano. A knee injury stymied her momentum, but she went into a matchup with Irene Aldana at UFC 245 with the hopes of challenging Nunes for the belt soon after. However, Aldana handed her a knockout loss instead, and Vieira has searched for consistency in her performances since then.
In seven fights since that loss, Vieira tallied a 4-3 record with impressive wins over the likes of former champions Miesha Tate and Holly Holm in back-to-back main events but also suffered untimely losses to Yana Santos and Raquel Pennington, as well.
Order UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs O'Malley 2
Her most recent outing, a decision loss to Harrison, was still a strong showing for her, as she gave the two-time Olympic gold medalist plenty of adversity through which to work. The 33-year-old Vieira has a powerful style that comes through in both her striking and grappling, and it gave Harrison a few fits throughout their bout at UFC 307. Although she suffered a loss, Vieira is very much in the division’s wide-open mix.
Macy Chiasson
Chiasson earned her way into the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter in November 2018, the final win over Pannie Kianzad marking just her fourth professional bout. That meant a lot of learning on the job for the New Orleans native, including acclimating herself to the bantamweight division and finding consistency both in performance and preparation. When Chiasson is on, she looks dominant, using the most of her athletic, 5-foot-11 frame to her advantage both on the feet and in the grappling departments and has scored three performance bonuses over her six-plus years on the roster.
In 2024, she showed her best form yet as she picked up stoppage wins over Kianzad and Mayra Bueno Silva to solidify herself in the top 5. Her win over Kianzad was jarringly similar to their first meeting nearly six years prior as Chiasson was able to sink in a rear-naked choke to submit her former TUF castmate. Against Bueno Silva, Chiasson was able to get the former title challenger to the ground and land a nasty elbow that sliced the Brazilian badly, earning the doctor stoppage. It appears as though Chiasson is really coming into her own and is primed for a push toward title contention.
Meeting In The Middle
Two things are rather consistent when it comes to this matchup: Vieira is going to march forward, and Chiasson is going to keep a high work rate. Vieira is the bigger puncher of the two but keeps things more methodical, averaging just 2.92 strikes landed per minute. However, her pressure and ability to mix in grappling can often overwhelm opponents over the course of 15 minutes, and she isn’t really deterred as fights go long. Chiasson is a slightly busier fighter, landing 3.77 strikes per minute, as well as 2.37 takedowns per 15 minutes.
FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads
Both women show good durability. Vieira has only been finished once, while Chiasson has been stopped just twice. They also boast a variety of finishes on their record. Chiasson might have the most success using her lateral movement and athleticism to wear on Vieira, while Vieira should have the physicality to muck up and slow Chiasson over the course of 15 minutes.
UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Klein took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 31, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!