Ketlen Vieira vs. Pannie Kianzad Added to UFC on ESPN 49 in London

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming visit to the UK has gained an important women’s bantamweight clash.

Ketlen Vieira and Pannie Kianzad will attempt to climb the 135-pound rankings when they meet at UFC on ESPN 49 in July in London. The news was first reported by MaximumSports and was confirmed by the UFC on Tuesday.

Bantamweights on deck!

🇧🇷 @KetlenVieiraUFC vs @PannieKianzad 🇸🇪 is official for #UFCLondon

🎟️ https://t.co/wg9VkLrok2 pic.twitter.com/EYlQx8iHcU

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 9, 2023

Vieira (13-3, 7-3 UFC) is looking to get back on track after finding herself on the wrong side of a split decision in her UFC Fight Night 217 affair with Raquel Pennington. Prior to that, “Fenomeno” overcame former divisional queens Miesha Tate and Holly Holm at UFC Fight Night 198 and UFC Fight Night 206, respectively. The Nova Uniao representative is looking for her first UFC title shot, and a victory over Kianzad would put her in a favorable spot.

Kianzad (16-6, 5-3 UFC) is building momentum after her victory over Lina Lansberg at UFC on ESPN 34 in April. “Banzai” is 5-1 in her last six assignments, with a sole loss to Pennington at UFC Fight Night 192. Her resume includes victories over former title contenders Bethe Correia and Alexis Davis, among others.

UFC on ESPN 49 will take place at the O2 Arena in London, England, on July 22. The UFC has yet to announce the main event of the evening, but has implied the card might feature the return of surging British heavyweight Tom Aspinall following his knee injury suffered against Curtis Blaydes last year.