Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm returns to the Octagon on Saturday after a 19-month absence, taking on top-10 contender Ketlen Vieira in the UFC Fight Night main event in Las Vegas.
Holm (14-5), who reigned as champ for four months after a 2015 knockout of Ronda Rousey, last fought in October 2020, when she earned a unanimous decision over Irene Aldana for her second straight win. Since then, Holm has had two scheduled fights canceled because of injury. Nonetheless, the 40-year-old Holm is No. 10 in the ESPN women's pound-for-pound rankings and No. 3 at women's bantamweight.
Vieira (12-2), who is ranked sixth at 135 pounds by ESPN, has won two of her last three fights, most recently a unanimous decision in November over another former champ, Miesha Tate. Vieira, a 30-year-old Brazilian, won the first 10 fights of her career.
Saturday's fights at the UFC Apex are on ESPN+, with the main card at 7 p.m. ET and prelims at 4.
How to watch the fights
Stream the fights on ESPN+: Download the ESPN App
Don't have ESPN+? Get it here.
There's also FightCenter, which offers live updates for every UFC card.
Saturday's UFC fight card
ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET
Women's bantamweight: Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira
Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Michel Pereira
Middleweight: Dusko Todorovic vs. Chidi Njokuani
Heavyweight: Jailton Almeida vs. Parker Porter
Middleweight: Eryk Anders vs. Junyong Park
ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET
Middleweight: Joseph Holmes vs. Alen Amedovski
Strawweight: Polyana Viana vs. Tabatha Ricci
Lightweight: Omar Morales vs. Uros Medic
Men's bantamweight: Vince Morales vs. Jonathan Martinez
Men's featherweight: Felipe Colares vs. Chase Hooper
Strawweight: Sam Hughes vs. Elise Reed
Ian Parker's betting tip
"Both Holm and Vieira carry a lot of power and like to stand and strike. Vieira's path to victory is on the ground, while Holm's distance striking and takedown defense will make it challenging. Each fighter's last three wins have come by decision, and I do not see this going differently."
For Parker's main event pick and advice for betting other fights on Saturday's card, check out the ESPN+ expert picks and best bets article (link below). It also features analysis by MMA coach and broadcast analyst Din Thomas and betting expert Reed Kuhn.
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UFC Fight Night: Expert picks and best bets for Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira
Legitimate questions: What would it take for Holly Holm to get back to the title one more time?