Two big fights have recently been reported for UFC’s May 21st “Fight Night” card. These matchups join a show that doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.
Bantamweights Holm, Vieira Expected Headline May Card
Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira are being targeted for the main event of UFC’s May 21st show, per reporter Ariel Helwani.
The matchup could be Vieira’s second consecutive main event victory. She won her debut UFC main event appearance last year, defeating another former champ in Miesha Tate. Vieira went the distance to get the win, going all five rounds to earn the unanimous decision nod.
Vieira’s November win put her back into the win column after previously losing to Yana Kunitskaya.
The potential matchup could be Holm’s first fight since 2020. She is currently on a two-fight winning streak, defeating Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana via decision.
Holm was scheduled to headline a show against Norma Dumont in Fall last year, although she had to eventually pull out of that fight due to injury.
Veterans Gustafsson and Rothwell Matched
Experienced heavyweights are expected to compete on the card, as Alexander Gustafsson has been booked to face Ben Rothwell. News of the fight was first reported by Ashah Tafari of Frontkick.Online.
Gustaffson will be fighting to break a three-fight losing streak that includes a title fight loss against Jon Jones in 2018. His most recent bout was in July 2020, where Fabricio Werdum submitted him in a round.
Gustaffson’s return was initially scheduled for September 2021 against Paul Craig, although that fight never happened.
Rothwell scored a win and a loss in 2021. His first appearance of the year was in May, where he submitted promotional newcomer Chris Barnett in the second round. Six months later, he suffered a 32-second loss to Marcos Rogerio de Lima.
Updated Lineup
The sole other bout that was previously reported for UFC’s May 21st event was a fight between featherweights Chase Hooper and Felipe Colares.
Here is the updated lineup:
Bout 3: Holly Holm (14-5) vs. Ketlen Vieira (12-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Chase Hooper (10-2-1) vs. Felipe Colares (10-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Alexander Gustafsson (18-7) vs. Ben Rothwell (39-14) (Heavyweight)
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