Jacare Returns Against…..Tim Boetsch?

Current No. 3-ranked middleweight Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza has been lobbying for a chance to compete for the 185-pound title, but will instead return to face an opponent ranked outside of the top 10.

It has been confirmed Souza will take on No. 14-ranked Tim Boetsch at UFC 208 on February 11 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The match-up doesn’t do much for Souza in terms of his title hunt, but could mean everything for Boetsch if he is able to upset the former Brazilian champ.

Souza has lost only one bout in almost four years, and that came in a close split decision loss to Yoel Romero, as he comes off of a grizzly first round knockout win over former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort at UFC 198 this past May. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is a 14-year veteran of the sport, holding wins over names such as Tim Kennedy, Robbie Lawler, Derek Brunson, Gegard Mousasi, and many more.

Boetsch is currently on a two-fight win streak in which he finished both of his opponents early, beating Josh Samman and Rafael Natal via knockout in the second and first rounds. A potential win over Souza would certainly be the biggest one of the former NCAA Division I competitor’s MMA career.

UFC 208 will go down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on February 11, 2017.

What are your thoughts on the odd match-up?