Ketlen Souza opens up about scary injury suffered on debut and seeks comeback at UFC Las Vegas 91

Ketlen Souza (left) suffers serious injury in her UFC debut. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Victim of Scary injury suffered during his debut in the biggest MMA organization in the world, Ketlen Souza, ‘Esquentadinha’, is back. Brazilian highlight on the preliminary card of the UFC Las Vegas 91, which takes place this Saturday (27), flyweight (up to 56.7kg.) spoke exclusively to SUPER FIGHTS about his return to MMA after almost a year of inactivity. With an eye on the comeback, the athlete also evaluated the challenge in front of Marnic Mann.

In June 2023, Souza realized his dream of debuting as an official Ultimate representative. After accepting a last-minute commitment, the Brazilian faced Karen Silva and ended up suffering a serious knee injury after being submitted by his compatriot.

Scare and recovery

In the clash against Karine, ‘Esquentadinha’ managed to show little to the spectators. Finished at the beginning of the fight, the man from Manaus had a shocking image when her knee was dislocated by her opponent, which resulted in the rupture of the ligament. Recovered, the flyweight opened up about the moment.

“The injury was serious. I didn’t feel the impact at the time, nor any pain. I heard the crack, which was very loud. That worried me. At the time, it made me angry, because there was no fight. It was at the beginning of the round. I went to feel my knee when I got up and my leg wobbled. I thought: ‘I broke my leg’. I knew something had happened. I only felt the pain in the ambulance. I heard about the injury in Manaus. I had to have surgery because I tore my anterior cruciate ligament. We prepared so that I could return faster. We know that it takes about a year to return a ligament. I’m coming back in less than seven months. I’m happy to be back. (…) I don’t feel pain. You can kick, you can hit. I shoot well, even better than before,” said Ketlen.

Advantage over the next opponent

This weekend, ‘Esquentadinha’ shares the octagon with a rival who is also looking for her first UFC victory. The Brazilian then evaluated her opponent and pointed out advantages that can be used throughout the match.

“Marnic is not an exchanger. She’s a grappler. I’m a striker, not a grappler. I worked a lot. I believe that if I don’t knock her out, she will be finished. She has many flaws in jiu-jitsu and grappling. She has to be very careful, because I’m much more aggressive. She just moves forward and has nothing to lose. I watched all her fights. Boxing is way inferior to mine,” she explained.