Marnic Mann, in her second trip to the UFC octagon, welcomed Ketlen Souza back to the strawweight division at UFC Vegas 91 on Saturday.
Souza, who had claimed the Invicta FC flyweight title prior to signing with the UFC, had competed as high as bantamweight in her career. But most of her early fighting days saw her competing as a strawweight, making Saturday a return to the division, while being her UFC debut there.
Mann, an LFA vet and Contender Series alum, was coming off a loss to Josefine Knutsson in her promotional debut. Early on, she fired a high kick alongside the head that Souza blocked, but which still landed with an audible crack. It was Souza, however, firing a nasty two-punch combo moments later, and following that with a side kick upstairs.
That burst of offense had Mann in trouble; the pair clinched up, but off the break, it was Souza light on her feet, looking loose. With 90 seconds left in the round Mann would drop to her back, keeping her guard active, but Souza came dangerously close to passing before backing off, chopping the legs, and eventually allowing Mann back to her feet.
Round two saw Souza take the fight to the fence early; Mann would fight her off. They’d end up back there again and again, with the second stint on the cage seeing Mann under heavy fire for a moment. Mann was showing redness around the face and more concerningly, reluctance to engage at times. That allowed Souza to find her rhythm, looking every bit the champion she’d proven to be in Invicta FC – though Mann was far from the toughest test in the UFC.
With a minute left in the second stanza, Souza climbed the back, then landed a takedown, capping off another strong round.
Marnic Mann went after a leg early in round three, looking for a takedown. Souza shrugged her off, then ripped a combo as Mann stood with her back to the fence. Suddenly the damn burst, with Souza ripped body shots and lefts and rights up top. Mann was covering up, but not moving her head, offering a stationary target for Souza to tee off on. At times, it looked like Ketlen Souza was working over a heavy bag. Mann, perhaps out of desperation, grapped a kimura while standing, took it to the ground, and used it to sweep – arguably her most impressive moment of the fight.
That allowed Mann to get on top with just over two minutes left in the fight. But she wouldn’t get the job done, with Ketlen Souza emerging victorious with a one-sided unanimous decision victory.
Official Result: Ketlen Souza def. Marnic Mann by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
