Manoel Sousa believes the strength that has helped him finish fights did not come from the cage alone. As he prepares to face Richie Miranda on Saturday at UFC Vegas 120, Sousa said years of farm work helped build the unusual knockout power that has become part of his fighting identity.
Sousa has only one UFC appearance under his belt, but it made a strong impression. In August 2025, he made his debut against Bolaji Oki and won by knockout, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. That result fit the broader pattern of his career: nine of his 14 professional victories have come by TKO or knockout.
Why Sousa believes the power is real
Sousa said he thinks some fighters are simply born with natural finishing ability, but he also pointed to the kind of physical labor he grew up doing. Working on a farm, handling heavy objects and dealing with wild bulls, in his view, helped develop a strength that carries over into the cage.
That is part of what makes his run interesting. Sousa began his professional career in 2019, and now he is preparing for only his second UFC appearance on one week's notice. Even with the short turnaround, he said he is always training hard and ready whenever the phone rings.
A difficult test against Richie Miranda
The matchup is not a soft landing. Richie Miranda enters the fight on a seven-fight winning streak, which gives Sousa a clear challenge as he tries to continue building momentum in the UFC. Sousa, though, sounded confident that his style can create problems once the fight starts to unfold.
He said he saw several openings in Miranda's game and believes his hands will land once he is able to impose his pace. Sousa went further, predicting that the fight will not go long if he can get into rhythm. In his view, it ends in the first round or the second — and if it goes to the third, he expects Miranda to go down there instead.
For Sousa, Saturday is another chance to turn a strong debut into a real UFC run. For Miranda, it is a test against a finisher who believes his power was built long before he ever stepped into the Octagon.
