SALT LAKE CITY – Ketlen Vieira doesn’t think Kayla Harrison has been properly tested.

Vieira (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) meets two-time PFL lightweight champion Harrison (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) main card at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Harrison is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka. She ran through Holly Holm in her octagon debut, and is oozing confidence ahead of UFC 307. Vieira however, doesn’t think Harrison’s hype is quite warranted just yet.

“As far as Kayla, listen: It carries a good name in judo,” Vieira told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC 307 media day. “I do believe that she hasn’t been proven in MMA.

“A lot of people tend to confuse things, and I think she has not proven herself. She’s had one fight right now (in the UFC). I feel really prepared about this and I think this is the time. I feel confident that this is the fight that will take me to the title shot.”

Harrison said she thinks she can beat bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington, title challenger Julianna Peña, and Vieira all in one night. Vieira thinks she’s delusional.

“I think she needs to pinch herself or somebody needs to pinch her to see if she’s dreaming or something, because I just don’t understand where this is coming from,” Vieira said. “I think she’s an athlete that’s so dependent specifically on the ground game.

“But listen, I can strike with the best. I’m not sure she can do something like that. I have wrestled against someone who has an Olympic medal. I’ve done jiu-jitsu with the best. I think that I do all those things. I don’t think she can.”

Harrison is heavily being touted as the next title challenger if she gets past Vieira. The Brazilian expects the same treatment.

“I think I’ve been on the cusp of this for such a long time, and I’ve been in this position for quite some time,” Vieira said. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity, it just never happened. I fought Sara (McMann) coming off of three wins, and I thought after this, I’m fighting for a title. I didn’t get that.

“(I) fought Cat Zingano, who beat Amanda Nunes, and thought, ‘Well this is for a title shot.’ It never happened again. It’s been since 2018 that I’ve been at this, just battling for it, and I believe everything happens for a reason. There’s not my time – it’s God’s time, and things are happening because they need to happen.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

SALT LAKE CITY – Roman Dolidze sees a path to his first UFC submission vs. Kevin Holland.

Dolidze (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) takes on Holland (26-11 MMA, 13-8 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) main card opener at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Dolidze’s first three professional wins came by submission, but all his UFC finishes have been by knockout. He thinks that could potentially change against Holland, but it’s not something he’ll go after.

“He’s an (unpredictable) guy, I’m (unpredictable),” Dolidze told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 307 media day. “But who knows – maybe this time will be my first submission in the UFC. It’s a little bit strange: I’m a grappler and I’ve never used this (in the UFC), but who knows? But you know me – maybe I will just go and fight.”

Dolidze was asked his thoughts on the light heavyweight title fight between champion Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree, which led him to express his frustration with the UFC’s rankings. Dolidze’s most recent fight was a win over ranked light heavyweight Anthony Smith in June, but he now finds himself out of the UFC’s 205-pound rankings.

“I’m happy with the UFC. That’s why I’m not saying anything,” Dolidze said. “But even my last fight, I beat Smith. He was No. 10 ranked, and after I woke up Tuesday, some guy moved to (No.) 10, and after one month they put me to No. 15. I don’t understand what’s going on there. For me, it’s to provide for my family, to provide for my kids, for their future.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Don’t ever forget that Kayla Harrison is always watching.

On the latest episode of UFC 307 Embedded, the two-time Olympic champion sent a fiery message to former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo after he made some critical comments about her before ultimately picking Harrison to win on Saturday. Also on the latest episode, UFC champ Raquel Pennington makes a late arrival into Utah and runs into her opponent Julianna Pena after checking in for fight week duties. All this and more on the latest episode of UFC Embedded.

Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the France squad for upcoming Uefa Nations League matches despite returning from injury this week.

The Real Madrid forward missed the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on Sunday with a thigh injury, but came off the bench during a surprise 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Despite recovering from the issue, France head coach Didier Deschamps has not selected the 25-year-old for matches against Israel and Belgium.

“I had an exchange with Kylian. He has a problem which is not serious. I am not going to take risks, which is why he is not in the squad,” Deschamps told reporters in Paris.

Mbappe has scored seven goals in 10 appearances since joining Real Madrid in the summer.

Another notable absentee is Antoine Griezmann, who announced his retirement from international football on Monday.

“He had such an impact that we can’t play in the same way,” Deschamps said of losing Griezmann, who retired aged 33 after winning 137 caps.

“I am not necessarily going to change the system, but I am not going to look for an equivalent player.”

Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku, who won the last of his 10 caps in June last year, returns to the squad, while midfielder N’Golo Kante misses out.

France will play their away fixture against Israel on Thursday, 10 October in Budapest due to security concerns in the Middle East.

Les Bleus will then face Belgium in Brussels on Monday, 14 October.

France are currently second in Group 2 of League A with three points after two games, while Italy are top with six points.

Bellator Championship Series: Paris will not be going down after all.

The Bellator card, which was scheduled to go down on Nov. 16 at ADIDAS Arena in Paris, has been canceled and the fighters who were competing on the event will be rescheduled for other cards. PFL, Bellator’s parent company, announced the news Thursday.

Bellator Championship Series: Paris was supposed to be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Patchy Mix and Leandro Higo. No word yet on when and where that bout will now take place.

No specific reason for the cancelation was given, but PFL did clarify that previously purchased tickets have been refunded. Additionally, purchasers will receive a buy one, get one ticket purchase opportunity for PFL Europe Championship in Lyon, France on Dec. 14.

Outside of the championship, fight, two other bouts were previously reported for the card: Baissangour Chamsoudinov vs. Oliver Enkamp, and Imamshafi Aliev vs. Mike Shipman. No details on the new dates for those bouts.