Souza's head kick floors Carnelossi inside two minutes at UFC Vegas 118

Ketlen Souza opened UFC Vegas 118 with a statement, knocking out Ariane Carnelossi at 1:34 of Round 1 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The finish — a sharp head kick followed by a closing punch — was Souza’s first knockout inside the promotion.

Souza, fighting under her nickname “Esquentadinha”, was patient in the early exchanges as Carnelossi pressed forward with aggression. Rather than engage in a scramble, Souza absorbed the pressure and waited. A combination from Souza stunned Carnelossi, who stumbled directly into the head kick that sent her to the canvas. Referee Chris Tognoni stepped in immediately, waving off the contest before any further damage could be done.

The victory gives Souza back-to-back wins after she had halted a two-fight skid with a decision over Bruna Brasil. She moves to 17-6 overall and improves to 4-2 in the UFC’s strawweight division, with the knockout marking a new finishing tool on her record inside the Octagon.

Carnelossi, now 15-5, faces a difficult stretch of form. The loss is her third in four UFC appearances, and she has managed just one victory since October 2021, leaving her with serious questions to answer about her place in the strawweight rankings.