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The former Standout Fighting Tournament champion will do battle with Yazmin Jauregui when their women’s strawweight pairing helps anchor the UFC 306 undercard this Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Souza, 30, has won six of her past seven bouts. She last competed at UFC on ESPN 55, where she rebounded from a submission loss to Karine Silva, recovered from the resulting knee injury, made the decision to downshift to 115 pounds and took a three-round unanimous decision from Marnic Mann on April 27.
“I dropped down because strawweight is the correct weight class for me,” she told Sherdog.com. “I didn’t want to do it, but I had to since the girls in the weight class are much closer to my size. Thankfully, that fight boosted my career, and now we’re ready for the next battle. I fought Marnic with the intent to win, not put on a show. I had to be extra careful since my injury had happened recently. Everything worked out.”
On the other side of the docket, Jauregui has established herself as one of the sport’s top prospects at 115 pounds. The former Ultimate Warrior Challenge titleholder carries an 11-1 record, having suffered her lone setback in a 20-second technical knockout defeat to Denise Gomes in 2023. Jauregui bounced back at UFC Fight Night 237, where she nailed down a unanimous decision over Sam Hughes on Feb. 24.
“Yazmin has a good standup game,” Souza said. “She likes to strike. I don’t see much difference from my own game. That’s also my style. It’s good matchmaking for the both of us. She has her weaknesses and strengths. We’ve studied them all.
“My preparation has been intense because I plan to put on an electrifying performance,” she added. “All my sparring partners have been emulating her stance, which isn’t hard to do. Everything has been focused on getting me ready.”
Souza fancies herself a future contender but remains focused on crawling before she walks and walking before she runs. First, she has to establish herself as a long-term piece in the UFC’s plans.
“I’m currently looking to stabilize my position,” Souza said. “Like every fighter dreams about, I wish to be the UFC champion one day. That plan doesn’t change.”
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