Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has been campaigning for a title shot since 2015, when Chris Weidman was still the title-holder. But with some setbacks along the way, he was never able to be granted the opportunity as time continued to pass by. At UFC 230, Jacare Souza was finally able to fight Chris Weidman and earned the knockout victory, as perhaps a vindication for what would have occurred had the bout between the two happened three years ago. Now, Jacare is confident that those hurdles have now been cleared and will accept nothing less than finally receiving what he believes he has earned: a crack at the middleweight championship:
“I’m a plan A, man,” Souza told MMA Fighting. “I will fight for the belt. I want to wait for my chance. I’m a plan A, I will wait for my turn.
“I’ve made a lot of money this year,” Souza said. “I fought three times, I won three bonuses. I have one performance bonus and two fights of the night, I knocked my last opponent out. I’ve made plenty of money, I can stay some time without fighting.”
Jacare Souza would then go on to explain his case in more detail on why it is title shot or bust for the veteran:
“Romero defeats me in a robbery and fights for the belt. Gastelum wins a split decision, a close fight — and I thought I should have won — and he fights for the belt,” Souza said. “If Chris Weidman had beat me, he would have fought for the belt, and I’m the No. 5 in the rankings. I knocked him out. Why am I not going to fight for the belt? Why? For what reason?
“The title is something natural that will happen,” Souza concluded. “No one can be sure of anything, man. Things only happen if God allows it, but I believe it will happen.”
Do you believe Jacare Souza should receive a title shot in his next contest?
