Ketlen Vieira Calls out UFC After Unbelievable Cut While Others Below her Level Remain

With a promotion record of 10 wins and just five defeats, she was one of the most elite fighters on the roster, which made the promotion’s decision not to renew her contract a heartbreaking end to her UFC career.

Following her UFC exit, Vieira quickly found a new home with the PFL and is set to face featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in the PFL Tampa main event on Aug. 22. Ahead of her promotional debut, however, Vieira has opened up about her true feelings regarding her UFC release.

Ketlen Vieira Reveals why She Felt Wronged by the UFC

While speaking with Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting, Vieira expressed shock and surprise that the promotion decided not to retain her, choosing instead to let her go despite the featherweight division being in need of contenders.

“I was already expecting it because usually we renew a contract before the final fight,” Vieira told MMA Fighting. “When ‘Dedé’ told me they wanted me to have my last fight, I already found it a little strange and was kind of expecting it. But it was still a huge surprise to me because I’ve been a top athlete in the division for many years.”

With a 16-5 record, Vieira was one of the UFC’s elite fighters. However, she was shocked by her release, believing the promotion kept fighters on the roster who weren’t at her level. 

“I can’t really understand ,” Vieira said, “because if we’re talking about fighting styles, there are women whose fighting styles don’t even compare to mine, and who are completely one-dimensional grapplers. 

Having won 10 of her 15 fights in the UFC, Vieira boasts a record that even the likes of Holly Holm and Miesha Tate never achieved. ‘Fenômeno’ only lost to the division’s absolute best, including future champions Kayla Harrison and Raquel Pennington. 

Her release never really made sense to fans or Vieira herself, who believes she was unaware of any internal issues.

“I don’t know if it was an internal issue, I really don’t know. The only thing I know is that told me they weren’t going to renew my contract. Looking at me as an athlete, my career, my style, and some of the athletes who are there, I just can’t understand why,” said Vieira. 

Despite these setbacks, the Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, native never really took it to heart. Instead, she improvised and joined the PFL as soon as possible, for which she is grateful.

Vieira Turns UFC Heartbreak Into PFL Opportunity

With the UFC chapter behind her, Ketlen Vieira quickly found a new opportunity in the PFL, North America’s No. 2 MMA promotion. On August 22, she faces women’s MMA icon Cris Cyborg in a high-stakes clash that could mark Cyborg’s final fight. Vieira represents one of her toughest non-UFC tests, making this a major matchup for the promotion.

“I left the UFC as a winner,” Vieira said. “I left as a top-5 fighter, as a future title challenger, especially because all the other girls were coming off losses,” Vieira said. 

“So I can’t be ungrateful to the UFC or to everyone there who gave me the opportunity to change my life, and they did change my life. But today I’m focused on this new chance, this new opportunity in the PFL.”

With the PFL’s merger with MVP MMA and Jake Paul backing the promotion, the Nova União veteran believes “some really good things are coming now” for the organisation, “and that’s what matters” in the end. Still, she wonders what this could mean for the future of women’s MMA under the UFC umbrella.