UFC Night: Holm vs. Vieira is set to take place at the UFC Apex Facility, Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday, 21st May. In one of the less exciting fight night events this year, the main event bout features former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm defies age as the 39 year old veteran takes on the number 6 ranked fighter in the division, Ketlen Vieira.
The co-main event is a matchup that fans can be hyped up about, as high-octane entertainers and fan favorites Santiago Ponzinibbio and Michel Pereira square off. Elsewhere on the card, some promising fighters are billed to take center stage. Eleven total fights are arranged for the event this weekend and we can expect some bangers for the ages. Stay with us for the best bets, odds, tips,and predictions for the night.
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira General Information:
- Date: Saturday, May 21, 2022
- TV-Time: ESPN+,4:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: UFC Apex Facility
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Fights: 6 Fights on the Main Card and 5 fights on the Preliminary Card
- Main Event: Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira
Expert Pick #1 – Holm to win @-250
Holly Holm returns to the UFC octagon for the first time since 2020 as she takes on Ketlen Vieira this Saturday. This bantamweight bout could move the winner closer to a title fight as both fighters rank in the top 6. Vieira has been more active than Holm recently but the former champion has been very impressive in her last two outings.
In her time away from the cage Holm has been active in the gym to improve her grappling. This could play a massive role in this matchup because Ketlen Vieira’s style is to launch takedowns and move the fight to the canvas. On the feet Holm has the clear advantage. Her significant height and reach advantage could help her control the fight at a distance. Her superior striking skills will also be evident if the fight stays on the feet. In the end Holly Holm has enough quality and experience to come out on top against a decent competitive fighter in Vieira. Our experts predict a win for the Holm as she records a third straight victory.
Records: Holly Holm 14-5-0 | Ketlen Vieira 12-2-0 Main Card – (W) Bantamweight (135lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 3:00 a.m. ET
Expert Pick #2 – Njokuani to win @-225
Chidi “Bang Bang” Njokuani takes on Duško “Thunder” Todorovīć in a welterweight clash this Saturday. Njokuani comes into this fight having won three of his last three fights while Todorovīć has won just one fight in that same period. In this matchup, Njokuani has the clear advantages in height, reach and experience in the cage. He is also the better striker and the reach advantage could help him control the fight at range.
Duško Todorovīć would look to apply some pressure on Njokuani and close the distance. The Serbian has some decent aggressive grappling in his arsenal and he’ll aim to force the fight to the canvas as he is well outclassed on the feet. But Chidi Njokuani has good enough grappling and experience to be able to stuff the takedown and keep the fight where he wants it – on the feet where he can utilize his punching power and possibly knock Todorovīć out. Chidi Njokuani is just a class above the opponents that Duško Todorovīć has excelled against. And our experts predict a fourth consecutive victory for Chidi “Bang Bang”.
Records: Chidi Njokuani 21-7-0|Duško Todorovīć 11-2-0 Main Card – Middleweight (185lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 2:00 a.m. ET
Expert Pick #3 – Almeida to win @-649
Parker Porter agrees to take on Jailton “Malhadinho” Almeida on short notice in a heavyweight bout on the preliminary card this weekend. The 37-year old Porter comes into this fight riding a good run of three straight victories while Almeida has won ten of his last ten MMA fights. The Brazilian makes a move up in weight classes and the absence of a weight cut could do a lot to even out the size difference between the two fighters.
Almeida’s style of applying constant pressure and his deadly grappling skills could be a bad matchup potential for the slower, more powerful puncher in Porter. Porter taking this fight on short notice also raises questions about his cardio coming into this one. And you’re going to need a solid gas tank to go three rounds with the relentless Contender series winner Jailton Almeida. But we doubt the fight even goes that far. Almeida represents a different type of challenge for Porter than he has been used to. Our experts predict a convincing win for “Malhadinho” as he continues on his charge to challenge for a UFC title soon.
Records: Parker Porter 13-6-0|Jailton Almeida 15-2-0 Preliminary Card – Heavyweight (265lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 11:00 p.m. ET
Complete Card & Predictions for the Night
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira presents a decent fight card with some potentially interesting clashes. Former champion Holly Holm fights for the first time in two years against an opponent almost ten years younger than her. A similar age difference can also be found in the co-main event matchup. This fight night could very well be an exhibition to discover if the older fighter’s have still got it. Here are the Predictions, Odds, Bets and Tips for this weekend:
Main Event
- (W) Bantamweight (135lbs): Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira – Holm via Decision
Main Card
- Welterweight (170lbs): Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Michel Pereira – Ponzinibbio via Decision
- Middleweight (185lbs): Chidi Njokuani vs. Duško Todorovīć – Njokuani via KO/TKO
- (W) Strawweight (115lbs): Polyana Viana vs. Tabatha Ricci – Ricci via Decision
- Middleweight (185lbs): Eryk Anders vs. Jun Yong Park – Park via Decision
Preliminary Card
- Middleweight (185lbs): Joseph Holmes vs. Alen Amedovski – Holmes via KO/TKO
- Heavyweight (265lbs): Parker Porter vs. Jailton Almeida – Almeida via Submission
- Lightweight (155lbs): Omar Morales vs. Uros Medic – Medic via Decision
- Bantamweight (135lbs): Jonathan Martinez vs. Vince Morales – Martinez via KO/TKO
- Featherweight (145lbs): Chase Hooper vs. Felipe Corales – Corales via KO/TKO
- (W) Strawweight (115lbs): Elise Reed vs. Sam Hughes – Reed via Decision
5 of the most mind blowing upsets in UFC history 🤯
— UFC (@ufc) May 18, 2022
[ #UFCVegas55 | Saturday | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ywyUJIk6tS
