MMA Preview – Karine Silva vs Ketlen Souza at UFC on ESPN 46
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KARINE SILVA VS KETLEN SOUZA FACTS
When is UFC on ESPN 46? Sunday 4th June, 2023 - 00:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC on ESPN 46? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 46? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC on ESPN 46 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 46? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
KARINE SILVA VS KETLEN SOUZA LOWDOWN
Karine Silva (15-4) heads to the APEX for the third time in a row. We first saw her on the Contender Series when she submitted Qihui Yan (2021) in the first round. She eventually made her debut at UFC Fight Night 207 meeting Poliana Botelho (2022) and made light work of her with a second-round submission this time.
Now, she welcomes Ketlen Souza (13-2) for her debut. She is currently on a five-fight streak where she picked up two belts. She won the SFT bantamweight title by outpointing Gisele Moreira (2021). She then signed for Invicta outpointing Maiju Suotama (2022) and then winning the vacant flyweight title against Kristina Williams (202) making it three unanimous decisions in a row.
KARINE SILVA VS KETLEN SOUZA PREDICTION
Remarkably, Silva has finished all of her wins and more impressively, she has continued that form into the UFC.
Botelho was a very good match-up for her, but she is still going to approach this the same way. Expect her to walk Souza down swinging wildly to close the distance and drag her to the canvas.
Souza is the more technical striker with good hands and a variety of kicks, but we do not feel her takedown defence is good enough. If she can survive the first round, it will get interesting as Silva’s cardio has not been tested.
There is value in Souza if she can make it into the second and third round, but we are backing Silva to leverage her size and power to pin her on her back. Here, she will rain down the ground-and-pound while waiting to pounce on a submission.
Prediction: Silva via Submission
Value bet: Souza to win
