Former top diddleweight contender ‘Jacare’ Ronaldo Souza is a free agent according to ESPN.
The Brazilian has completed his current UFC contract and is not expected to be re-signed by the promotion.
Souza (26-10 MMA, 9-7 UFC) most recently fought last week at UFC 262, suffering a submission loss to Andre Muniz who broke the former Strikeforce champions arm in the process. Souza underwent surgery this past week on where he suffered a broken arm and is now expected to take some time out to heal before making his next move.
Sitting at 1-5 over his last 6 fights with the company, Souza does hold some major wins with the promotion including wins over Chris Weidman, Derek Brunson, Vitor Belfort, and Yushin Okami.
Souza joined the UFC from Strikeforce, a promotion where Souza was once middleweight king. Souza won the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title by defeating Tim Kennedy in 2010 and went on to defend it against Robbie Lawler before dropping the belt to Luke Rockhold.
It’s been a long and spectacular career for Jacare Souza. While he never claimed gold in the UFC, he was almost always in the top tier of middleweight contenders and a proverbial threat against anyone he fought. It’s hard to tell what’s next for Souza, but one can assume it will come with success.
What will you remember most about Jacare Souza’s UFC tenure? Where does he go from here?