Ultimate Fighting Championship 115-pounder
Ketlen
Souza has her back against the wall, and she is changing things
up accordingly.
Souza (15-6) will be facing fellow countrywoman Bruna
Brasil (11-5-1) on Saturday at UFC Vegas 113, also known as
UFC Fight Night 266. The two Brazilians will
collide at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as part of the preliminaries.
Souza, 31, spoke to Sherdog recently, where she discussed her new
training regimen away from her traditional team of the Carioca
Academy.
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Seeking her third victory inside the organization, Souza enters the
matchup at a pivotal moment in her UFC career following two
consecutive losses. In preparation for the Feb. 7 fight, the
Amazonian athlete joined the Ribas Family team in Varginha, Minas
Gerais. The striker by trade completed her entire training camp
alongside established UFC fighters like top-ranked strawweight
Amanda
Ribas and Alexia
Thainara.
Looking for Evolution
According to Souza, the move was motivated by the pursuit of
technical and competitive development.
“I was looking for evolution, and that’s when I met Diego Davila
and Marcelo Ribas. At Ribas Family, I found a training environment
that pushed me to grow. The team has a strong group of athletes,
with different body types, which raises the technical level of the
sessions,” Souza said.
After spending an extended period training in Manaus, Souza
relocated to Varginha with her partner to fully integrate into the
team’s daily routine. She highlighted the importance of sharing
training sessions with top contender Ribas, who has bounced back
and forth between strawweight and flyweight for much of her time in
the UFC.
“Training with Amanda has been extremely valuable,” Souza remarked.
“She’s a strong and durable athlete, and the exchange we have every
day helps both of us improve.”
Souza’s nickname, “Esquentadinha,” which translates to
“hot-headed,” dates back to her early days on the Brazilian
regional circuit. The name was given by an event announcer
following a backstage incident after a weigh-in, and has remained
part of her professional identity ever since. For Saturday’s
matchup, Souza celebrates a structured and comprehensive camp, with
an emphasis on strategic preparation for multiple fight
scenarios.