Ketlen Vieira spent a decade with UFC before the promotion cut her following her victory over Jacqueline Cavalcanti at UFC Fight Night 276 in May. <\/p>\n
With a promotion record of 10 wins and just five defeats, she was one of the most elite fighters on the roster, which made the promotion\u2019s decision not to renew her contract a heartbreaking end to her UFC <\/a>career.<\/p>\n Following her UFC exit, Vieira<\/a> quickly found a new home with the PFL <\/a>and is set to face featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in the\u00a0PFL <\/a>Tampa main event on Aug. 22. Ahead of her promotional debut, however, Vieira has opened up about her true feelings regarding her UFC release.<\/p>\n Ketlen Vieira Reveals why She Felt Wronged by the UFC<\/p>\n While speaking with Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting, Vieira expressed shock and surprise that the promotion decided not to retain her, choosing instead to let her go despite the featherweight division being in need of contenders.<\/p>\n \u201cI was already expecting it because usually we renew a contract before the final fight,\u201d Vieira told MMA Fighting. \u201cWhen \u2018Ded\u00e9\u2019 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\u2019ve been a top athlete in the division for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n With a 16-5 record, Vieira was one of the UFC\u2019s elite fighters. However, she was shocked by her release, believing the promotion kept fighters on the roster who weren\u2019t at her level.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t really understand ,\u201d Vieira said, \u201cbecause if we\u2019re talking about fighting styles, there are women whose fighting styles don\u2019t even compare to mine, and who are completely one-dimensional grapplers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Having won 10 of her 15 fights in the UFC, Vieira boasts a record that even the likes of Holly Holm and Miesha Tate never achieved. \u2018Fen\u00f4meno\u2019 only lost to the division\u2019s absolute best, including future champions Kayla Harrison and Raquel Pennington.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her release never really made sense to fans or Vieira herself, who believes she was unaware of any internal issues.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if it was an internal issue, I really don\u2019t know. The only thing I know is that told me they weren\u2019t going to renew my contract. Looking at me as an athlete, my career, my style, and some of the athletes who are there, I just can\u2019t understand why,\u201d said Vieira.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite these setbacks, the Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, native never really took it to heart. Instead, she improvised and joined the PFL as soon as possible, for which she is grateful.<\/p>\n Vieira Turns UFC Heartbreak Into PFL Opportunity<\/p>\n