LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 27: Ketlen Souza of Brazil punches Marnik Mann in a strawweight bout at the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
In his second trip to the UFC Octagon, Marnik Mann returns Ketlen Souza to the strawweight division at UFC Vegas 91 on Saturday.
Souza won the Invicta FC flyweight title before signing with the UFC and fought as far as bantamweight during his career. However, she fought as a strawweight for most of her early fighting days, so she returned to that weight class on Saturday, which marked her UFC debut there.
Mann, an LFA veteran and Contender Series alumnus, had lost to Josefin Knutsson in his promotional debut. Early on, she threw a high kick to the side of her head that her Souza blocked, but she still landed with a thud. But it was Souza who hit her with a nasty two-punch combo shortly after, and she followed up with a sidekick to the second floor.
That explosive attack put Mann in a predicament. The two players were close together, but by the break, Souza’s steps were light and he looked weak. With 90 seconds left in the round, Mann fell onto his back while maintaining his guard, but Souza nearly passed and cut his leg, eventually forcing Mann to his feet.
In the second round, Souza fought to the fence early on. Mann will fight her off. They ended up going back there again and again, and the second stint on the cage saw Mann briefly come under heavy fire. Mann had red around his face and, more worryingly, seemed reluctant to engage at times. That allowed Souza to find a rhythm and look every bit the champion he proved to be at Invicta FC — though Mann was far from the toughest test in the UFC.
With a minute left in the second round, Souza went up on his back and scored a takedown to cap off another strong round.
Marnik Mann targeted the leg early in the third round and went for a takedown. Souza shrugged her off and hit a combo where Mann was standing with her back against the fence. Suddenly there was a damn explosion and Souza ripped off body shots and went up top left and right. Mann stayed hidden but did not move his head, presenting a stationary target for Souza to tee off on. At times, Ketlen Souza looked like he was carrying a heavy bag. Mann, probably in desperation, grabbed the kimura while it was standing, threw it to the ground, and used it to sweep. It was probably her most memorable moment of the match.
This put Mann on top with just over two minutes remaining. But she couldn’t get her job done and Ketlen Souza won with a one-sided unanimous decision victory.
Official result: Ketlen Souza def. Marnik Mann unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
