Ketlen Souza

Ketlen Souza is a 31-year-old Brazilian striker who came up through the Invicta Fighting Championships before signing with the UFC in 2023. Born in Manaus and trained primarily at Carioca Academy before recently cross-training with Amanda Ribas at Ribas Family Muay Thai, Souza carries the nickname 'Esquentadinha' (hot-headed) from her early days on the regional circuit. Her career is built on knockout power: nine of her 17 wins come by KO or TKO, and six have come in the first round, establishing her as one of the division's most dangerous strikers for the opening period. She lands the vast majority of her significant strikes at distance, relying on her hands and footwork to set up devastating finishing opportunities.

Souza's UFC journey has been volatile but ultimately productive. After a rough debut loss to Karine Silva, she grounded herself with wins over Marnic Mann and earned a Performance of the Night bonus for a slick first-round rear-naked choke submission of Yazmin Jauregui at UFC 306. Two consecutive split-decision setbacks to Angela Hill and Piera Rodriguez (notably with 8 of 10 media outlets scoring the Hill fight in her favor) tested her mentally. Rather than retreat, Souza responded by relocating her entire training camp to Ribas Family in Minas Gerais, training daily alongside ranked strawweight Amanda Ribas to accelerate her technical development. That investment paid dividends immediately: she outpointed Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision, then delivered a statement first-round knockout of Ariane Carnelossi in June 2026, a fighter who had beaten her seven years earlier.

With 16 wins and a documented hunger to evolve, Souza represents a prospect with both the violence and the narrative to capture fan interest. Her 4-3 UFC record places her in the critical middle tier of the strawweight division where momentum decides trajectory. The combination of her explosive finishing power, her comeback story across back-to-back losses, and her transparent commitment to training alongside elite competition makes her a fighter poised to push deeper into the rankings.