Ultimate Fighting Championship
matchmakers still see
Holly Holm as
a box-office commodity, even though well over a year has passed
since the former women’s bantamweight titleholder last set foot
inside the Octagon.
“The Preacher’s Daughter” will return to active competition for the
first time in nearly 20 months when she takes on
Ketlen
Vieira in the
UFC Fight Night 206 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Holm enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back
victories. The
Jackson-Wink MMA mainstay last fought at UFC on ESPN 16, where
she was awarded a five-round unanimous verdict over
Irene
Aldana on Oct. 3, 2020. Vieira, meanwhile, has alternated wins
and losses in each of her past four outings. The
Nova Uniao export last appeared on Nov. 20, when she took a
five-round unanimous decision from
Miesha Tate
at UFC Fight Night 198.
As Holm and Vieira make final preparations in advance of their
high-stakes battle, a look at some of the numbers that have
accompanied them to this point:
40: Years of age for Holm, who was born on Oct. 17, 1981 in
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
8: Holm wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 57%
of her career total (14). Her list of victims includes
Ronda
Rousey,
Bethe
Correia,
Juliana
Werner and
Jan Finney.
Holm holds six other wins by decision.
111: Days spent by Holm as UFC women’s bantamweight champion. She
captured the undisputed title with her stunning second-round
knockout of Rousey at UFC 193 on Nov. 14, 2015, then surrendered it
in a technical submission loss to
Miesha Tate
at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016. It ranks as the shortest reign in the
history of the 135-pound weight class.
154: Significant strikes landed by Holm in her unanimous decision
over Aldana. It established a new high-water mark for the former
champion.
98: Combined victories between the five women—Tate,
Amanda
Nunes,
Cristiane
Justino,
Germaine
de Randamie and
Valentina
Shevchenko—who have beaten Holm. They boast a cumulative .817
winning percentage (98-22).
30: Years of age for Vieira, who was born in Manaus, Brazil, on
Aug. 26, 1991.
4: Vieira victories by submission, accounting for 33% of her career
total (12). Her methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes, one
kimura and one arm-triangle choke. Vieira owns two other victories
by knockout or technical knockout and six more by decision.
142: Seconds needed for Vieira to submit
Laet
Ferreira with a rear-naked choke at Big Way Fight Night 1 on
Sept. 12, 2015. Having occurred more than six years ago, it remains
her fastest finish to date.
26: Rounds completed by Vieira as a professional mixed martial
artist. She has gone the distance on seven different occasions and
carries a 6-1 record in those bouts.
.692: Cumulative winning percentage between the two
opponents—Aldana and
Yana
Kunitskaya—who have defeated Vieira. They sport a combined
record of 27-12.