An important middleweight fight has been added to UFC 176.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will meet Gegard Mousasi in the co-main event of the Aug. 2 card in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Daily News first reported the news Tuesday night.
The pair first met at DREAM 6 in Sept. 2008. Mousasi knocked out Souza via upkick in the first round to become the DREAM middleweight champion in the finals of the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix.
Souza (20-3, 1 NC) has won his last six fights in a row, including his first three in the UFC. Thus far, he has defeated Chris Camozzi, Yushin Okami and Francis Carmont inside the Octagon. The Brazilian took some time off recently to recover from left elbow surgery.
Mousasi (35-4-2) is 2-1 in the UFC. He lost to Lyoto Machida earlier this year in his return to 185 pounds, however, the MMA veteran bounced back last month when he defeated Mark Munoz via first-round submission.
UFC 176, headlined by Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes for the UFC featherweight title, will take place at the Staples Center in LA. The main card will air live on pay-per-view.