Jacare Souza feels a title opportunity looms.
Souza is ready to do battle once again. In his second fight of the year, Souza will trade leather with Kelvin Gastelum. The two will meet on May 12 as part of the main card of UFC 224. Souza will have home field advantage as the event will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
While he’s gone 8-2 under the UFC banner, Souza has had a shot at gold slip away with his two losses. A win over Yoel Romero would’ve likely secured Souza a title shot or at the very least a number one contender bout. Robert Whittaker went on to earn a shot at interim gold after knocking out Souza.
Souza told MMAFighting.com that he feels he is finally closing in on his chance and intends on making the most of it:
“If you analyze it, there’s no better option. Chris Weidman can’t fight now, he’s hurt. Kelvin Gastelum is here to fight, I’m here to fight, you know? Here’s what’s going to happen: in two fights I’ll become the UFC middleweight champion. No disrespect, it’s just me being confident. In two fights, I’ll become the UFC middleweight champion. I’m working for that, and I believe in it, and it will happen. Kelvin is a tough fight, difficult, complicated, but I’m here to defeat anyone and I will win two fights to become UFC champion.”
In his last outing, Souza got back in the win column by knocking out Derek Brunson in the first round. Souza was coming off his second loss under the UFC banner. That loss was to Whittaker, who is now the reigning middleweight champion.
It’s certainly feasible that Souza could receive a title opportunity with some more victories. He sits at the number two spot on the UFC 185-pound rankings. In fact, if Romero defeats Whittaker then Souza could make the case for a title shot due to their close fight back in Dec. 2015. Of course none of it matters if Souza can’t get past Gastelum.
Gastelum will be no pushover. While he was submitted by Chris Weidman, Gastelum gave the former middleweight champion quite the scare early on with his stand-up. If he can put it all together, then we may have a new contender emerge. Time will tell if the fresh blood or the old guard reigns supreme.
Do you think a title shot is inevitable for Jacare Souza?
