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Ketlen Vieira Discusses Her Upcoming UFC Fight Night 96 Bout Against Kelly Faszholz

October 1, 2016 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
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MMAjunkie recently spoke to UFC fighter Ketlen Vieira, who is set to make her debut at UFC Fight Night 96 later today against Kelly Faszholz. Below are some highlights.

Vieira on her experience: “I don’t have many fights, but I’m sure my record is better than that of many girls who are in there. I’ve had six wins and no losses, and I fought many girls from outside (my home state of) Manaus. I fought girls who are now in Bellator or Jungle Fight. And many of them were undefeated. I already competed in the world’s amateur jiu-jitsu tournament (Mundiais), and at Grapplers’ Quest in Las Vegas. I’m feeling very calm. I’m going to show up and do my job. I don’t care about what the crowd says – I don’t even speak English, so I couldn’t even understand them.”

On her passion for fighting: “Since I was a kid, I have always been passionate about fighting. I had no one, no relatives, no neighbors, nothing of that sort who trained. It was something I was born with. I watched and thought it was nice seeing the girls fighting. I always asked my mom to enroll me and when I was 12 she signed me up for my first sport, jiu-jitsu.”

On representing Manaus: “It’s a big responsibility, but I don’t see it as pressure. As the first girl from Amazonas, I feel I can open many doors for other girls in the state, so I see this as an extra strength to make it up there and do my job. In Manaus, there are many talents. Aldo, (Ronaldo) ‘Jacare’ (Souza) and with more incentive I’m sure there’ll be many more names. I think we lack incentive, because I feel it’s got many talented fighters not only in MMA, but in other styles. I certainly look up to them, especially Aldo, who’s a humble guy who left Manaus with the dream to see the ocean and is now a world champion.”