Karine Silva spoiled the UFC debut of Ketlen Souza in perhaps more ways than one.
The women’s flyweight matchup served as the second bout on the main card of UFC on ESPN 45 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The fight aired live on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+, and it was one that Silva ensured ended early in a violent fashion.
After dragging Souza to the mat with a takedown, Silva initially threatened a guillotine submission from the top. Souza regained full guard, but after posturing up and landing a couple of punches, Silva dropped down for a kneebar. She immediately cranked on the hold, resulting in Souza’s knee popping. Souza was clearly in pain and quickly tapped out.
Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):
THE KNEE POPPED 😱 #UFCVegas74 pic.twitter.com/J8ETOnh1T4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 4, 2023
With the win, Silva continued her finishing ways while extending her current winning streak to seven. The stretch has been an impressive one filled with early stoppages, including six first-round finishes, and one second-round victory.
Souza’s debut couldn’t have gone much worse. She earned her shot in the UFC after racking up a five-fight win streak, which included two wins under the Invicta banner.
Souza was helped out of the cage with her team, as she was unable to put her full weight on her injured leg.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 45 results include:
- Karine Silva def. Ketlen Souza via submission (kneebar) – Round 1, 1:45
- Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Abubakar Nurmagomedov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Daniel Santos def. Johnny Munoz via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Don’Tale Mayes def. Andrei Arlovski via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:17
- John Castaneda def. Muin Gafurov via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Muhammad Naimov def. Jamie Mullarkey via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:59
- Elise Reed def. Jinh Yu Frey via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Da’Mon Blackshear def. Luan Lacerda TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:54
- Philipe Lins def. Maxim Grishin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.
