Yana Kunitskaya splits open Ketlen Vieira, wins unanimous decision

Yana Kunitskaya made the most of her control at UFC Fight Night 185.

When she fought Ketlen Vieira on Saturday, Kunitskaya (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) won a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), despite having almost four minutes less control time than her opponent. Vieira (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) controlled much of the fight, but Kunitskaya landed the damage that swayed the judges in her favor.

The women’s bantamweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 185 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

The opening round quickly saw the fighters enter the clinch. Vieira initiated against the fence. After a Kunitskaya reversal, Vieira dragged her to the ground. From there, Vieira slowly worked toward a more dominant position, which she never obtained before the round ended.

For the entirety of Round 2, Kunitskaya was in control. In the opening minute, Kunitskaya secured a takedown. Vieira would get up briefly, but Kunitskaya dragged her back down to the mat and landed ground-and-pound.

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Although she entered Round 3 with momentum, Kunitskaya was swiftly planted to the mat by a Vieira takedown. From half guard, Vieira finally shifted into mount with three minutes remaining. Vieira worked to Kunitskaya’s back.

As Vieira worked for submissions, Kunitskaya landed a series of blind punches before she reversed position. On top, Kunitskaya landed heavy elbows, which sliced Vieira’s head open.

Kunitskaya entered the fight as an underdog and proved the oddsmakers wrong. The victory turns a standalone win into a winning streak for Kunitskaya. She has won four of her most recent five outings. The stretch also includes wins over Lina Lansberg, Marion Reneau, and Julija Stoliarenko.

As for Vieira, the loss sets her back for the second time in three fights. Prior to a unanimous decision win over Sijara Eubanks, Vieira was knocked out by Irene Aldana.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 185 results include:

• Yana Kunitskaya def. Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

• Darrick Minner def. Charles Rosa via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)

• Chris Daukaus def. Aleksei Oleinik via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:55

• Phil Hawes def. Nassourdine Imavov via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)

• Tom Aspinall def. Andrei Arlovski via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:09

• Jared Gordon def. Danny Chavez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

• John Castaneda def. Eddie Wineland via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:44

• Julian Erosa def. Nate Landwehr via TKO (flying knee) – Round 1, 0:56

• Casey O’Neill def. Shana Dobson via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:41

• Aiemann Zahabi def. Drako Rodriguez via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:05

• Serghei Spivac def. Jared Vanderaa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:32