Vieira in favor of cancelling UFC 250: Everyone’s health comes first

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Bantamweight Ketlen Vieira thinks it would be irresponsible to hold UFC 250 in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

While UFC president Dana White is still finding a way not to have UFC 249 postponed, female bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira thinks UFC 250 should definitely be called off.

Scheduled to take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the event would take place in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which is gaining momentum in Brazil everyday. The country has over 600 cases, and with and 22 out of the 25 confirmed deaths being in Sao Paulo, it’s the most affected city in Brazil so far.

Due to those alarming numbers, Vieira tells Ag Fight she would not mind seeing the May 9 event being called off or postponed. She emphasized it would be the noble thing for the UFC to do, not only because many lives could be endangered because of the pandemic, but because she has been unable to properly train for her fight against Marion Reneau as well.

“I don’t think there will be an event in Sao Paulo, because deaths have been confirmed. We’re just waiting for the UFC to tell us something. Cancelling it would be the right thing for the UFC to do. In order to fight, I need to prepare. How can I fight if I can’t prepare? Especially in our sport, where there’s contact and I can’t touch anyone.”

“There’s been no preparation because they cancelled everything.” Vieira continued. “They thought it would be for the best if there were no training sessions. Nobody is training, we’re trapped home. I don’t go out for anything. I was only running and I don’t even know if I’ll be able to do that this week. We’re not allowed to go out.”

Since it’s a matter of public health, Ketlen has no issue with the card being cancelled. Although she suffered her first ever MMA loss in her last outing and wishes to get back on the horse quickly, Vieira believes it would be better to wait out the pandemic.

“I’m not afraid of the event getting cancelled. I think my health and everyone else’s comes first in a situation like this. I have no problem with it being cancelled.”

In her last outing, back in December 2019, Vieira (10-1) was knocked out by Irene Aldana and lost her invicibility in brutal fashion. Before the defeat, the 28-year-old was on a four-fight winning streak in the UFC, with wins over Kelly Faszholz, Ashlee Evans-Smith, Sara McMann and Cat Zingano.

Now, Vieira is expected to take on Reneau at UFC 250, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 9. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between the champion, Henry Cejudo, and former featherweight title holder Jose Aldo.