Jacare Souza: Give Me An Opponent And I Will Walk Through Him
After UFC middleweight king Chris Weidman successfully defended his title against Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort at May 23’s UFC 187, it was unclear who would challenge the “All American” for the title next. Presumably the No. 1-contender, many thought that the surging Luke Rockhold would get the shot, but fans were thrown for a loop when UFC president Dana White said that the also streaking No. 2-ranked Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza would “probably” get the shot.
In the end, White announced a few weeks ago that Rockhold would indeed get the shot, and of course “Jacare”, who is riding an eight-fight win streak with five UFC wins in a row, was not too happy. Recently speaking with Portal Do Vale Tudo (Via Bloody Elbow), Souza said that he doesn’t believe it’s fair that Rockhold got the shot, and that the two should’ve fought or it should’ve been given to “Jacare”:
“I didn’t think it was fair. I thought Rockhold had to beat me or wait for my turn before he could fight for the title. That’s the reality, it could not have been another way. Unfortunately, what happened was different and we’ll have to do another fight.”
Both men have looked spectacular as of late, but Rockhold has arguably done it against tougher competition. Also, despite his lengthy win streak, Souza’s last loss actually came to Rockhold at a Strikeforce event back in 2011.
At the end of the day, “Jacare” knows he must respect the UFC’s decision and come back stronger, stating his openness to meet and beat any opponent in front of him until a title shot is the only thing left for him:
“They have their policy and we must respect it. We are UFC employees, but sometimes things don’t go our way. I’m happy despite what happened, which bummed me out a little. Sometimes I wonder why people don’t give credit to our work. My fight with Rockhold was a five round battle and people make fun of me. They don’t know how tough he is. Sometimes a loss will happen even if it’s by the hand of the judges. We must come back stronger. I’m eager to fight and always ready. Give me an opponent and I will walk through him.”
With a date not yet announced for the highly-anticipated Weidman vs. Rockhold matchup, it could be risky for Souza to wait for the next title shot, especially with nothing ever being guaranteed in this sport. Perhaps “Jacare” could meet the winner of June 27’s Lyoto Machida vs. Yoel Romero bout in a title eliminator. After all, Souza was scheduled to meet “The Soldier of God” twice this year, a bout that has still yet to take place.
