LAS VEGAS – Ketlen Souza won’t take any time to soak in the success of her first octagon win after UFC on ESPN 55.
After falling short in her promotional debut vs. Karine Silva in June, Souza got her hand raised in her sophomore appearance on Saturday when she outworked Marnic Mann to a unanimous decision in their strawweight bout at the UFC Apex.
Souza was able to land 80 significant strikes over three rounds compared to just 31 for her opponent, and she was confident coming in that boxing would be a key to victory.
“Not a surprise to me – I like to box,” Souza told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter post-fight at UFC on ESPN 55. “That’s what I like to do. I always thought she was able to counter it, and it didn’t come. I was happy with what I got.”
Souza was forced to sit on her debut loss for nearly 10 months and stew over it. She doesn’t want that much time to reflect on the win over Mann, and would prefer to get back in the cage in short order.
“I want to be back as soon as possible,” Souza said. “I’ll be back Monday training. This is not the time to take a vacation or take a break. It’s the moment for me to be training, fighting and coming back.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.
