Team Reebok continues to expand. Top-ranked middleweight contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is the latest fighter to ink an exclusive sponsorship deal with the UFC’s uniform partner, Reebok officials announced Thursday in Rio de Janeiro.
Souza is the first Brazilian fighter to ink a specialized contract with Reebok, joining fellow international stars Conor McGregor and Joanna Jedrzejczyk among those with Reebok deals separate from the standard UFC uniform clause.
“We think ‘Jacare’ fits very nicely into what we’re doing, and for us he’ll be the face of UFC in Brazil, so it’s a big deal,” said senior director of Reebok combat training Michael Lunardelli. “He’s maybe one of the greatest jiu-jitsu artists who ever lived. He’s amazing. He’s a tactician of the sport.
“We love how versatile he is as a fighter, and we’re very excited to have him on our roster.”
Reebok previously looked to sign Brazilian featherweight champion Jose Aldo, however Aldo elected to remain with his longtime apparel sponsor Venum.
Souza (22-3, 1 NC) is currently the No. 2 ranked middleweight on the UFC’s official rankings. He is the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, and at 35 years old, holds a perfect 5-0 record in UFC competition.
Souza’s current eight-fight win streak is highlighted by finishes over Gegard Mousasi, Yushin Okami, and Derek Brunson. He also holds past wins over former Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko, Tim Kennedy, and current UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.
Souza was in the running for the next UFC middleweight title shot, however his chances became slim when his opponent at UFC on FOX 15, Yoel Romero, withdrew from the event just one week out from fight night.
Souza ended up rematching Chris Camozzi as a late replacement, and though he easily dispatched Camozzi in under three minutes, the win was overshadowed by Luke Rockhold’s victory over Lyoto Machida on the same card, ultimately giving Rockhold the shot at UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.