Kelly Faszholz

Kelly Faszholz vs. Ketlen Vieira

Round 1
Vieira catches an early body kick and uses the leg to shove Faszholz against the fence, where the Brazilian leans on her opponent for 20 seconds or so. Faszholz breaks away, dodging a sweeping punch from Vieira on her way out of the clinch. Faszholz whiffs on a high kick and gets popped with a right hook on the turn-around. Now it’s Faszholz looking to pin Vieira to the wall, but Vieira turns the tables with a lovely throw that puts Faszholz on the floor at the base of the fence. Vieira lands short body punches as she works to pass Faszholz’s guard at the midway point of the round. Faszholz slows the fight by entangling Vieira from the bottom, but Vieira opts to stand in the final minute. Vieira still can’t pass the guard but finishes the round kneeling atop Faszholz.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vieira

Round 2
Faszholz gets off to a good start, sticking her right hand in Vieira’s face and placing a kick across the Brazilian’s midsection. Vieira catches another kick, and again she uses it to her advantage by tripping Faszholz to the floor. Faszholz closes her guard and looks to lock down Vieira’s arms, so Vieira stands up and tries to shuck the legs. Vieira still can’t find a pass and winds up kneeling back down in Faszholz’s guard. Back up comes Vieira, having to dodge the swirling and upkicking legs of the grounded Faszholz. Two minutes remain in the middle round and the fighters have settled into a stalemate, with neither able to improve their position. Referee Dan Miragliotta brings the bantamweights back to their feet. Vieira blocks a kick aimed at her head, then catches one to her body and brings Faszholz straight back to the ground. Ref Miragliotta doesn’t let them stay down for long, but a stand-up of the fighters in the final 20 seconds proves fruitless.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vieira

Round 3
Faszholz spends the first minute of the final frame chasing Vieira around the cage, swinging punches as the Brazilian backpeddles away. Ninety seconds in, Faszholz traps Vieira against the fence and scores with a knee to the body. Vieira tries to reverse and trip, but Faszholz blocks it and separates. The fighters are apart only for a few seconds before Vieira grabs hold of Faszholz and brings her back to the wall. Faszholz blocks another throw attempt and creates some space, now with half a round remaining. She continues to chase Vieira around the perimeter, but once she catches up, it’s Vieira controlling the fight by hurling Faszholz to the canvas. Faszholz throws up a triangle from her back, but she can’t get hold of Vieira, who’s standing over her. Vieira catches Faszholz rolling to her knees and tries to take her back; Faszholz sits up against the wall to block the back-take, and they finish the fight grappling at the foot of the fence.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Faszholz (29-28 Vieira)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Faszholz (29-28 Vieira)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Faszholz (29-28 Vieira)

The Official Result
Ketlen Vieira def. Kelly Faszholz via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00