Holm vs Vieira betting picks & top odds – UFC Vegas 55 main event

Holly Holm will return to the octagon for the first time since 2020 to face Ketlen Vieira in the main event of UFC Vegas 55 this Saturday night. Here’s a betting preview for Holm’s highly anticipated return at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Holly Holm record, stats & form

Holly Holm (14-5-0) suffered through a long slump after improving to 10-0-0 by becoming the first woman to defeat Ronda Rousey back at UFC 193 in 2015. Holm lost the UFC Bantamweight Championship in her next fight and went 2-5-0 in a stretch of fights between 2016 and 2019. The former champion has turned things around in her last two fights however, defeating Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana by decision in 2020. She will be fighting in her first professional fight in 19 months this Saturday.

Ketlen Vieira results, form & record

Ketlen Vieira (12-2-0) defeated Miesha Tate in her most recent fight last November. That win snapped a 1-2 slump that had included a knockout loss against Irene Aldana and a decision loss against Yana Kunitskaya. Vieira opened her career with a 10-0-0 record before this recent 2-2-0 run over her last four fights. Six of her last seven wins have come by way of decision.

Holm vs Vieira betting predictions

Holm’s last two wins proved that she still had something left in the tank after her rough stretch after winning the bantamweight title. It’s worth noting that those five losses all came against top-tier fighters; Valentina Shevchenko, Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes are arguably the three best women’s MMA fighters of all time, and Germaine de Randamie is a well-respected bantamweight as well. Had Holm fought Vieira last year, we’d be pretty confident that she’d get the job done.

And she probably still will. She deserves to be the favorite and will win this fight if she’s at anything near top form. But this -250 price seems a bit steep for someone who has been out of the octagon for almost two years and is returning at 40-years-old. Maybe she won’t show any signs of ring rust or having lost a step. Vieira just defeated a former great that was past her prime in Miesha Tate, however, and at +210 we’re willing to take a shot that she does it again this Saturday night in Las Vegas.

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