Jacare Souza knows who he is picking in the interim middleweight title match-up between No. 1-ranked Yoel Romero and No. 3-ranked Robert Whittaker, seeing as he has shared the Octagon with both men.
It was announced earlier this year that current UFC 185-pound champ Michael Bisping would defend his strap against the returning former welterweight king Georges St-Pierre, however, no date or venue was ever set for the bout. St-Pierre stated that he wouldn’t be ready to fight until after October, prompting UFC President Dana White to call the fight off and make other arrangements.
Instead, “Rush” will return to his former championship weight of 185 pounds while Bisping nurses an injury. In the meanwhile, the UFC’s middleweight title will receive an interim champion this weekend (Sat. July 8, 2017) when Romero and Whittaker are locked in the Octagon.
Jacare Souza is a man who has fought both of these top-ranked middleweight contenders, suffering a controversial split decision loss to Romero in December of 2015 and a knockout loss to Whittaker earlier this year, and offered his pick for this weekend’s title clash. The Brazilian picked Romero to walk away victorious due to his massive size and ability to remain calm under pressure (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“I think Romero wins this fight,” Souza said. “He’s stronger, keeps the distance well and is really calm. Robert Whittaker can surprise him and win because he’s really fast for the middleweight division, but I bet on Romero.”
Although the UFC waited until after Jacare lost to Whittaker to implement the interim strap, he isn’t holding any grudges and is eager to see a good fight between two of the UFC’s finest at 185 pounds:
“Better late than never,” he said. “Robert Whittaker is a great champion and earned this chance. I’m happy for him. And Romero also proved he deserved it by knocking out (Chris) Weidman. They deserve to fight for the interim belt and then fight Bisping.
“The division is finally moving now. I’m coming back and will earn my title shot.”
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