Despite his devastating submission loss to Andre Muniz at UFC 262, Jacare Souza appears in good spirits after a successful surgery of his humerus at a Houston hospital this weekend.
Souza suffered the injury late into Round 1 of his fight, after Muniz sunk in a modified armbar that appeared to snap Souza’s arm right away. This was the first time that Souza had suffered a submission loss since being forced to tap against Tim Boetsch at UFC 208.
Souza’s coach Josuel Distak posted on his Instagram and provided a brief update on his condition following the tough end to his return to the octagon.
It was a tough outing for Souza who was making just his second fight at middleweight since he returned to the division following a brief stint at light heavyweight, including a split-decision loss to current light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz. Souza has now lost four straight fights and five of his last six.
As for Muniz, he’s been on a tear since arriving in the UFC through a pair of fights in Dana White’s Contender Series. He has now won seven straight fights and has come out victorious in 15 of his last 16 bouts in his career. He’s sure to add to an already stacked middleweight division and has a chance to emerge in the division rankings with at least another win against a tough opponent.
As for Souza, it remains unclear as to what could be next for him. At age 41, it’s not a secret that he’s near the tail end of his career in the UFC. He’ll need at least six months to recover from his fractured humerus before he plans a return to the octagon. Souza’s doctor, Rickson Moraes oversaw the surgery and thinks that he could make an excellent return to competition following his recovery.
It’s been a wild 2021 so far watching former legends of the sport fall from grace, including Souza’s middleweight colleague Chris Weidman. After suffering a cringe-worthy break at UFC 262, it’s encouraging to see that Souza is on the right path as he begins to heal.
What do you think is next for Jacare Souza?