Manoel Sousa vs. Richie Miranda
UFC Fight Night · August 8, 2026 · Meta Apex
OddsManoel Sousa -251·Richie Miranda +207(DraftKings)
Between Sousa's nine knockouts and Miranda's eight career finishes, the math points strongly toward a stoppage. Sousa's power is the single biggest weapon in the fight, and Miranda has spent most of his career against regional competition, so the first hard exchange will tell us a lot. Still, Miranda's wrestling pedigree and five-round cardio give him more routes to victory, especially late as Sousa's pace drops. Slight lean to Miranda by late finish or decision, with Sousa's one-punch KO threat looming the entire time.
The Matchup
This late addition pits two of the lightweight division's newest arrivals against each other, and it has action written all over it. Sousa is the harder single-shot hitter, with nine knockouts and a highlight-reel finish of Bolaji Oki in his debut, but he absorbs 3.71 strikes per minute and his takedown defense sat at 60 percent in early UFC data. Miranda is the more complete fighter: a southpaw with five-round championship experience, real wrestling from his CSW catch-wrestling base, and a seven-fight win streak as LFA champion. If Miranda mixes takedowns with his southpaw striking, he can drag Sousa into deep water; if he stands and trades, he is playing Sousa's game. Both men finish fights, so the judges may not be needed.
Tale of the Tape
| Manoel Sousa | Richie Miranda | |
|---|---|---|
| 14-1 | Record | 13-1 |
| 29 | Age | 31 |
| 5'9" | Height | 5'9" |
| 70" | Reach | — |
| Orthodox | Stance | Southpaw |
| Brazil | Country | United States |
| Academia Octogono | Team | CSW Training Center |
The Numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
Manoel Sousa
“Manumito”
Manoel Sousa is a Brazilian knockout artist from Acarau, Ceara, with 12 finishes among his 14 wins, nine of them by KO or TKO. Years before reaching the UFC, he knocked out current UFC standout Mauricio Ruffy on the Brazilian regional scene. He earned his contract with a third-round TKO of previously 13-1 Cristian Perez on the 2025 Contender Series, then knocked out Bolaji Oki in the third round of his March 2026 debut. His only career loss is a decision to Bellator standout Archie Colgan in 2024, and he has never been stopped.
- WBolaji Oki · KO (punch)UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Vallejos · March 14, 2026
- WCristian Perez · TKO (punches)Dana White's Contender Series 2025: Week 3 · August 26, 2025
- WLucas Barros Oliveira · Decision (unanimous)LFA 205 · March 28, 2025
Richie Miranda
“El Machete”
Richie Miranda is the reigning LFA lightweight champion, a Santa Ana, California southpaw who trains under catch-wrestling legend Erik Paulson at the CSW Training Center. He rides a seven-fight win streak into his UFC debut and defended his LFA belt three times, including a rare bulldog-choke submission of Robert Varricchio in May 2026. His 13 wins are evenly split between five knockouts, three submissions and five decisions, showing a genuinely well-rounded game with championship-round experience. His only loss is a 2023 split decision he has since avenged with dominant performances against solid competition.
- WRobert Varricchio · Submission (bulldog choke)LFA 233 · May 22, 2026
- WIlay Barzilay · Decision (unanimous)LFA 215 · August 22, 2025
- WRichie Lewis · TKO (elbows and punches)LFA 207 · April 18, 2025