Grappling specialist Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza plans to test his striking skills in boxing
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza retired from mixed arts competition in 2021 following a four fight losing streak that was capped off by his first ever submission defeat to Andre Muniz via armbar.
Jacare started his MMA journey in 2003 in the midst of a jiu-jitsu career that saw the Brazilian win CBJJ and ADCC titles with and without the gi. His competitive success in the submission grappling realm translated beautifully to MMA, where Jacare scored 14 career submissions out of 26 wins and rarely lost a grappling exchange during a fight. When Jacare announced his retirement in August 2021, he hinted at a return to jiu-jitsu competition, telling Combate that he felt he retired too young from the sport where he made his name.
Recently, however, Jacare has pointed to an interest in pursuing a different combat sport. In an interview with Sherdog.com, Jacare stated that a boxing deal was close to being finalized.
“I couldn’t stay away from my training routine. I began to train boxing and I received a proposal to fight that I liked.”
Although an opponent has not yet been revealed, Jacare was able to confirm that a deal is close to being finalized.
“I cannot say the name of the event yet. What I can say is that my boxing is being sharpened already. Even though I came from jiu-jitsu, I´ve always loved boxing, and if you see my MMA fights, I’ve always had strong hands.”
Throughout his MMA career, Jacare showed vast improvement in the striking department. With knockout wins over formidable foes such as Derek Brunson, Yushin Okami, and Chris Weidman, a venture into boxing may prove fruitful depending on his opponents.
The recent migration of MMA fighters to boxing has sparked the discussion of fighter pay, led mainly by YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul. MMA veterans such as Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, Mike Perry, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren have turned to boxing and have earned substantial paydays. While a return to jiu-jitsu may be make more sense for Jacare from a skill perspective, a boxing career will almost certainly be much more lucrative.