Surging UFC middleweight contender Ronaldo Souza isn’t scheduled to fight for the UFC middleweight championship this year, but apparently, he’s anxious for a high-profile matchup before 2015 begins.
“Jacare,” the No. 2 185-pounder in the UFC’s official rankings, is fresh off a dominant submission victory over Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 50 last week and is hoping to keep the momentum going, based on a report from this week’s edition of UFC Tonight (h/t MMA Fighting).
MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani reported on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight that Souza (21-3, 1 NC), fresh off his dominant third-round submission victory over former Strikeforce titleholder Gegard Mousasi, intends to go through a full two-month training camp on the off-chance that either UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman or controversial title challenger Vitor Belfort drop out before the pair can tangle in Las Vegas this December at UFC 181.
Although UFC President Dana White said that the dangerous Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt would likely need one more fight before he vies for UFC gold, per Bloody Elbow, it’s tough to envision anyone else being next in line.
The X-Gym standout has taken his game to another level since losing the Strikeforce middleweight title to Luke Rockhold in September 2011, winning seven fights in a row (six of which were finishes).
In the past year alone, the 34-year-old has scored big victories over contenders Yushin Okami, Francis Carmont and Mousasi, avenging a September 2008 loss to “The Dreamcatcher.”
UFC 181 takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on December 6 and is headlined by a title fight between Weidman and Belfort.
While he is arguably the most deserving in the division, Souza now joins fellow Strikeforce imports Rockhold and Tim Kennedy in a group of fighters ready and willing to compete in the UFC 181 main event, per Bloody Elbow.
Will fight fans see Souza fight a top-three opponent before the end of the year, or will he be forced to patiently wait until the first quarter of 2015 before he walks out to the Octagon again?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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