Vieira shows she's a contender, while Tate proves she still belongs

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Ketlen Vieira defeated Miesha Tate via unanimous decision in a five-round main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. It was Tate’s second appearance since returning from a nearly five-year layoff, as she was retired from 2016 to 2021.

Two takeaways from this one for me. First off, Tate (19-8) wants to be here, which is refreshing. Too often in combat sports, athletes come out of retirement for reasons that only get them hurt. Whether it’s financial necessity, lack of other options or just missing the glory that comes with this sport, their reasons for a return aren’t always the best.

Tate legitimately looks like she wants to be here. Her preparation looks good. Her willingness to compete and take a shot are both there. We saw the old dog of Tate in there, that same dog that helped her capture a UFC championship in 2016. So, if she wants to continue to fight, I imagine the sport will support her in that.

Second takeaway: Vieira might (12-2) have as good a shot of beating women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes as anyone. Now, in saying that, realize that I’m saying her shot is not very good. Nunes is in a class of her own. But even though Vieira’s record isn’t amazing (she’s only 2-2 in her last four fights), her size and athleticism at least give her a shot.

If she can be more aggressive than she was on Saturday, and possibly more confident in her finishing ability, she has a puncher’s chance. It would take perfect execution and probably a little luck, but considering how dominant Nunes is, that’s a better shot than most currently have.