Dana White: ‘Jacare’ Will Fight Again Before We Talk Title Shots
Last night (Fri., September 5, 2014) No. 4-ranked UFC middleweight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza picked up a huge win in the main event of UFC Fight Night 50 from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, submitting former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi after a dominant performance.
It was his fourth straight UFC victory and seventh overall, and it has Souza dangerously close to a coveted middleweight title shot. While that’s the next goal on “Jacare’s” list, UFC President Dana White seems to think everyone needs to pump their brakes a bit.
White spoke up to FOX Sports’ Ariel Helwani after the fight, noting that while “Jacare” looked amazing, the belt will already be defended when Chris Weidman meets Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 181 on December 6. White seems to think Souza will most likely fight again before any championship opportunities:
“Yeah, he looked impressive tonight. You know, I’m a huge Mousasi fan, and he picked him apart, he wore him out, and he looked fantastic. Talk about title shots, there’s a title fight that’s going to happen first, so It depends on when this thing happens, what goes down, what happens with Chris Weidman. It’s tough to say, ‘Yeah, he’s getting a title shot,’ when there’s already a title shot in line.
You can’t say the guy’s next in line for a title when somebody’s already next in line for the title, so obviously “Jacare “ looked in incredible tonight, he put on a great performance, and I’m sure he’ll fight again before we talk about title shots.”
White may have a good point, as Weidman vs. Belfort is still three months away, and in today’s ever-changing MMA world full of injuries and other mishaps, it is impossible to schedule a second title challenger when one is still in waiting.
The UFC has seen too many fights fall apart at the last minute to think it wise to schedule one that far in advance. “Jacare” will have to continue showing his skills to make his claim at the belt, and a bout against the winner of UFC Fight Night 55’s Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping main event may be up next for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist.
What do you think? Has “Jacare” already done enough to deserve a shot at gold?
