Dana White has added another exciting fighter to the stacked UFC lightweight division.
The UFC CEO handed out five contracts during the latest episode of his Contender Series show.
Manoel Sousa earned his way into the UFC with a third-round TKO win over Cristian Perez.
The 13-1 Brazilian lost the first two rounds before one big punch wobbled his opponent and changed everything. Sousa swarmed to force a finish and impress Dana White, who immediately signed him to the UFC.
Manoel Sousa already holds a win over one of the 155lb division's most feared knockout artists.
In 2019, the same year he made his debut, Sousa beat Mauricio Ruffy at Standout Fighting Tournament 18.
'One Shot' boasted a 5-0 record and appeared to be destined for the UFC glory he has since achieved.
However, Sousa temporarily derailed his hype train to move to 4-0 as a professional MMA fighter.
Ruffy dropped and cut his opponent early in round one. Sousa bounced back with a knockdown of his own during a wild five-minute frame that ended with the UFC's new lightweight signing in the ascendancy.
In round two, Sousa caught Ruffy with a massive punch on the chin when he dropped his hands and backed up to the fence.
A few follow-up punches were enough for the referee to step in and wave off the fight.
Mauricio Ruffy has been perfect, with seven consecutive wins since his loss to Manoel Sousa.
Three of those victories have come inside the Octagon, where he was compared to a 'giant Conor McGregor' by the UFC commentators after impressing with a flying knee KO in his promotional debut at UFC 301 in March 2024.
The same comparison was made after Ruffy outpointed James Llontop at UFC 309 last November.
A spinning-wheel kick KO win over Bobby 'King' Green made Ruffy a star earlier this year.
He'll look to move from exciting prospect to genuine contender at UFC Paris on September 6.
Ruffy will face #13-ranked Benoît Saint Denis in a highly anticipated co-main event clash.
Manoel Sousa has some work to do before a UFC rematch with Ruffy becomes a real possibility.