LAS VEGAS — Fresh off an impressive victory in his UFC debut, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza will step into a top 10 matchup in his next bout when he takes on perennially ranked Yushin Okami.
According to UFC president Dana White, the fight “will happen,” though he didn’t yet have a time frame for its scheduling. He also said it wasn’t yet signed but stated it was the promotion’s intended direction.
“That’s the fight we’re going to make,” he said.
The fight could serve to mint a top contender. Souza (18-3, 1 no contest), a former Strikeforce middleweight champion,” has won four straight since losing the belt, with all four coming by way of stoppage.
Vitor Belfort also has a case for that top contender billing after two straight highlight-reel knockouts. The division should find more clarity in July, after the matchup between champ Anderson Silva and challenger Chris Weidman is decided. White confirmed on Thursday that Silva recently finalized a 10-fight contract extension.
Against Chris Camozzi on UFC on FX 8, ‘Jacare’ continued his impressive run, slicing through him en route to a first-round arm triangle choke.
Okami has captured three straight, with consecutive wins over Hector Lombard, Alan Belcher and Buddy Roberts.