LAS VEGAS – Yana Kunitskaya may have picked up a big win in her first appearance of 2021, but it didn’t come without a surprise or two.
Kunitskaya (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) outpointed Ketlen Vieira with a unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 185, which took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, earning scores of 29-28 on all three scorecards.
But despite coming out of the matchup relatively unscathed compared to her busted-up opponent, the Russian admitted she was caught unaware by just how powerful the Brazilian was in the wrestling and grappling exchanges.
Speaking to reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage following her victory, Kuniskaya revealed she spent part of her training camp sparring and drilling with PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison, and didn’t expect Vieira (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) to offer the same sort of physical strength as her training partner.
“(When) I was preparing for this camp, one of my sparring partners was Kayla Harrison,” she said. “She’s a really strong girl, so I was preparing for a fighter who was more weak than her. So I was surprised.”
A more welcome surprise for Kunitskaya was how she found herself able to execute one of her pre-fight game plans despite being on the mat. The Russian explained that despite finding herself in tricky situations on the canvas during the bout, Vieira’s focus on grappling left openings for her to score with strikes on the mat. Those strikes proved crucial as she registered a number of notable shots while also stifling the Brazilian’s grappling attack to turn those positions to her advantage in the eyes of the judges.
“Sometimes I gave her a mistake in a good position, but I found I could punch from there. When she took my back, for example, I still can beat her. Yes, I was surprised.
“The game plan was standing – punching her, kicking and trying not to go to the ground. Then, if it’s on the ground, try to punch from any position. So I didn’t do very good in the first part – sometimes I did mistakes and went to the ground. But I did pretty good in punching her from any position and that’s why I feel I won this fight – because I kept active from any position. When she took my back, I was active and punching.”
While Kunitskaya thought she had edged the action over the three rounds, she wasn’t fully confident as she awaited the official verdict. Thankfully, her fiance, light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos, was on hand to assure her that she had done enough to win.
“When the fight finished, I felt that for myself that I won this fight. I did enough. I (did) more damage than her. But sometimes it’s a strange decision,” she said. “But Thiago came to me and said, ‘Congratulations,’ and I thought, ‘But maybe I didn’t win.’ But he said, ‘No. You won.’ And this time I believed him and was just waiting for the result.”
Now riding a two-fight winning streak, Kunitskaya said she’s looking up the rankings list for her next opponent and, after suggesting that she’d love to face Aspen Ladd during her initial post-fight interview with the UFC, told the assembled reporters she’s happy to take on anyone ranked higher than her at 135 pounds.
“Anyone who is above me in the rankings, I would be happy with this fight,” she said. “I’m not planning to have as many fights as possible. I will be focusing on quality. ”
Yana Kunitskaya admits Ketlen Vieira’s strength surprised her during UFC Fight Night 185 battle
