Vieira calls UFC release 'unbelievable' after decade as elite bantamweight, signs with PFL to face Cyborg

Ketlen Vieira has spoken out against the UFC’s decision not to renew her contract, calling it “unbelievable” given her standing in the bantamweight division, as she prepares to face PFL featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in the main event of PFL Tampa on August 22.

Vieira, who went 10-5 inside the UFC cage between 2016 and 2026, was released after a victory over Jacqueline Cavalcanti this past May — a result that made her departure all the more difficult to process. Her UFC résumé includes wins over Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Sara McMann, and Cat Zingano, with losses coming only to future champions Kayla Harrison and Raquel Pennington.

“I was already expecting it because usually we renew a contract before the final fight,” Vieira told MMA Fighting. “When ‘Dedé’ [Andre Pederneiras] told me they wanted me to have my last fight, I already found it a little strange and was kind of expecting it. But it was still a huge surprise to me because I’ve been a top athlete in the division for many years.”

Vieira was careful to frame her frustration without arrogance, but made her feelings plain. “What I’m about to say isn’t me being arrogant or anything, and I even apologize for saying it,” she said, “but I’m much better than many of the fighters who are there at bantamweight. It’s kind of unbelievable that they wouldn’t renew my contract when there are many other fighters there who aren’t on my level.”

She expanded on her confusion when reflecting on her fighting style relative to those still on the UFC roster. “If we’re talking about fighting styles, there are women whose fighting styles don’t even compare to mine, and who are completely one-dimensional grapplers,” Vieira said. “I don’t know if it was an internal issue, I really don’t know. Looking at me as an athlete, my career, my style, and some of the athletes who are there, I just can’t understand why.”

Despite the bitterness of the exit, Vieira has chosen to focus on what lies ahead. The PFL deal delivers something the UFC never did — a title shot — and against one of the sport’s most recognisable names in Cris Cyborg. “I left the UFC as a winner,” she said. “I left as a top-5 fighter, as a future title challenger, especially because all the other girls were coming off losses. It doesn’t really make sense because I was the only one coming off a win to be fighting for the title.”

Vieira described the move to PFL as arriving at a place where she feels genuinely “valued” as an athlete, and credited the transition to what she called ten years of “maturing” in the UFC. The Cyborg bout on August 22 represents, by her own account, one of her ultimate dream fights.