Jacare Souza has contemplated retirement, but he isn’t going anywhere just yet.
Souza is set to take on Kelvin Gastelum in the co-main event of UFC 224. The action will be held inside the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 12. Souza will look to win his second straight bout.
In his last outing, Souza crushed Derek Brunson in a rematch. Souza was able to score a first-round knockout victory. It was the fourth knockout win in the Brazilian submission specialist’s career.
Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Souza, who turns 39 in December, said he’ll know when it’s time to walk away from the sport:
“I don’t really have this problem with the idea of stopping, because I don’t want to risk my health. I’d thought about stopping before, because I thought maybe I couldn’t fight at a high level anymore. That’s was what made me think about that. The day things start getting tough, I’ll stop. That’s the natural order of things: You leave, and younger people come in. That’s just how life is and I see no problem with that. I just have the conviction and certainty that I can still fight at a high level and that I can still be champion.”
Souza has only lost to Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker inside the Octagon. His loss to Romero was a controversial split decision. Whittaker was the first fighter since Gegard Mousasi to stop Souza.
Before falling to Romero, Souza was riding an eight-fight winning streak. In that span, he finished seven of his opponents. Five bouts ended via submission, while two were decided by way of knockout.
UFC 224 will be headlined by a women’s bantamweight title clash between champion Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington. Also featured on the main card will be a strawweight tilt between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Cooper. John Lineker will meet Brian Kelleher, and Vitor Belfort is set to go one-on-one with Lyoto Machida. Stick with MMANews.com for coverage of the event.
How do you think Jacare Souza matches up with Kelvin Gastelum?
