Ex-UFC Star Officially Ends Short-Lived Free Agency Following Shocking UFC Exit

"Fenômeno” was released from the UFC just days after her last win.

(Zuffa LLC)

A top-ranked fighter that was unexpectedly cut from the UFC earlier this year has officially signed on with the PFL.

Keeping a place on the UFC roster is never an easy task, and with this year’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series on the horizon it will be no surprise to see a number of names exit the UFC in the coming months to make room for a new crop of fighters that will be competing for UFC contracts,

That being said, the promotion typically doesn’t opt to cut fighters coming off of wins, especially if they’re long-term members of the roster and hold a place in their division’s Top 15. That unfortunately wasn’t the case for Ketlen Vieira, who exited the UFC in May as the #5-ranked fighter in the women’s bantamweight division.

Ketlen Vieira Signs With PFL After Surprising UFC Exit

The UFC’s decision to part ways with Vieira came as a surprise to much of the MMA community, but this week the Brazilian announced that she’s set to return to fighting after signing a deal with the PFL.

While Vieira is a solid addition to the PFL roster, there are some questions regarding what opportunities the promotion has promised her. “Fenômeno” has spent the entirety of her MMA career competing at 135 lbs., and at the moment the only fully-fledged women’s weight class offered by the PFL is women’s flyweight.

PFL star Dakota Ditcheva competes in the women's flyweight division. | PFL

Vieira failed to make weight twice during her UFC run, but she could potentially follow the likes of fellow UFC veteran Liz Carmouche and try making the drop down to 125 lb. with the PFL.

“Fenômeno” Went 10-5 During Nearly 10-Year UFC Run

After going 6-0 to start her professional MMA career, Vieira joined the UFC in 2016 and won her promotional debut against Kelly Faszholz via split decision.

Ketlen Vieira (red gloves) fights Pannie Kianzad (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

The Brazilian brought her undefeated record to 10-0 with wins over former UFC title challengers Sara McMann and Cat Zingano before she was knocked out by Irene Aldana at UFC 245 for her first career loss. Vieira’s list of victories since then includes former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champions Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, and she also dropped decisions to future UFC titleholder Raquel Pennington and the division’s current champion Kayla Harrison.

Ketlen Vieira (red gloves) fights Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) fight during UFC 307 at Delta Center. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The 34-year-old's last UFC outing in May saw her take a unanimous decision over one-time PFL fighter Jacqueline Cavalcanti, who started her UFC career with five-straight wins before running into Vieira.