Issue 136
December 2015
Brazil’s leading middleweight predator is primed for an attack on the UFC title
Jacare Souza
UFC middleweight
Named after the aggressive caiman that stalks the waterways of Brazil, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza has trapped some of the world’s best 185lb fighters in his jiu-jitsu jaws to get within striking distance of a world title shot. Though he was overlooked in favor of Luke Rockhold in 2015, he has the opportunity to finally secure his title chance next year with a win over Yoel Romero in December. Sitting poolside at his Rio de Janeiro apartment, he tells Fighters Only why he should have always been regarded as the true number-one contender and how he’ll bring the belt back to Brazil in 2016.
Q. You have not lost a fight in four years, what is the secret of your success?
A. I am always wishing to evolve my game. I am in a constant evolution for every fight and it has allowed me to surprise my opponents and make good victories. I believe this is the secret of my success: effort, training and evolution. If you don’t feel the urge or have the willpower to train, you will reach nowhere. My coaches and teammates at X-Gym have helped me so much to be physically well in every fight.
My willpower is the difference. I always want to learn and train hard. Many times fighters urge for it, but when difficulty shows up they don’t want it any more. I have suffered so much here during wrestling and boxing workouts because I always train out of my comfort zone (laughs).
Q. Who are your main coaches today?
A. There is two: my MMA and boxing coach, Josuel Distak, and conditioning coach Rogerio Camoes. Some time ago I had a great time learning with Pedro Rizzo, which was very good for me, and I also spent some time training with Adrian Jau, a wrestling specialist. He has an incredible knowledge and traveled around the word training with the best athletes. Distak is always looking for somebody to beat me in sparring sessions, and we have a very good team here at X-Gym that helps me a lot.
Q. How do you think you have improved most during your career?
A. Getting a bit better every day in the end makes a notable improvement. Every day you learn a little in every aspect of the fighting game, and when we notice, we have improved a lot. I believe in it.
Q. UFC champion Chris Weidman says you are more dangerous than Luke Rockhold. How does this make you feel?
A. I don’t give it much attention. I just want the UFC to know it (laughs). I am the toughest adversary for him. My results don’t lie and I am coming off good victories. I won the championship of another huge organization (Strikeforce), so I deserved to be fighting for the belt at UFC, but that’s fine. After this fight (against Yoel Romero) there’s no place to get away. I will go there to make a great performance and show that I’m the real contender.
Q. Were you disappointed when Rockhold got the title fight ahead of you?
A. I didn’t like it whatsoever. I didn’t like it and found it disrespectful to me because everybody knows that I didn’t lose a single fight in the UFC, so this fight for the title should have been given to me, but that’s OK.
Q. Rockhold made a statement by beating Lyoto Machida badly. Do you think that’s why they chose him?
A. I certainly believe so, but if it was for that they had to put Yoel Romero to fight for the belt instead of Luke because he beat Machida way worse. Lyoto is not in a good moment and I think it was the wrong decision.
Q. Who do you expect to win when Weidman fights Rockhold for the title?
A. This is going to be a very tough fight for both of them, but I favor the champion. He is going to keep the rhythm and will get the win in a hard match-up. I believe Weidman will keep the belt, so I expect to face him next.
We have a lot of respect for each other. I respect his style so much. He’s not the champion by chance, but I don’t pay much attention to his statements about being a Brazilian killer.
Q. Do you think the UFC will give you a title shot against the winner of that fight if you beat Yoel Romero in December?
A. I only think about my next fight. I already have the credentials to be the next contender. I don’t believe anybody deserves it more than me. Not even Luke deserves it more than me.
Q. What do you expect from your fight with Romero?
A. I believe this is going to be another tough bout. He has heavy hands, not to mention his wrestling, which is top level. He’s one of the strongest men in the UFC and he can make it hard for every opponent in the Octagon. But when Bruce Buffer announces the fight and the referee tells us to go, I will prove that I deserve to be the champion by beating him up.
I am going to surprise the fans. Every time I take on a tough opponent I surprise and this is not going to be any different. I coming to impose my game and force him to do things he doesn’t want to do in the Octagon. I am definitely going to win.
Q. Do you still think that Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the most important element of MMA?
A. Undoubtedly yes, because if you don’t know to fight on the ground, you cannot fight MMA. All the great champions are good in jiu-jitsu. Chris Weidman is a BJJ black belt, Jon Jones trains jiu-jitsu and is good at it.
There’s no champion who isn’t able to roll on the mat, so I consider it the most important element for sure. But if you know only jiu-jitsu, you are going to be beaten like a child in MMA nowadays.
Q. What motivates you to keep fighting?
A. I wish to be the champion, I wish to perform against the best fighters and I wish to learn. My willpower motivates me to accomplish my personal goals. I don’t know if I’m motivated by the pursuit of glory and money though. I am super calm with it. If the belt happens, and it will, I believe I will continue to be the same guy. I ask God to keep me like this because it is so bad when we change. I want to be champion. My focus is the belt and I will be super happy when this moment comes. But I ask God for my feet to stay on the ground.
Q. What goals or ambitions do you have for the future?
A. I want to be the UFC champion above all else, then I’ll open an academy in Brazil where I will teach jiu-jitsu to children. I plan to carry out a social project to help poor children especially. But becoming UFC champion is going to be the summit of my career because the UFC is the greatest organization in the world. I already was submission, jiu-jitsu, judo and Strikeforce champion and now I want the UFC championship belt.
There’s no place like home
Q. Why do you stay in Brazil, when so many Brazilian fighters move to California?
A. I like to live in Brazil, despite it being so difficult to live here. We are overtaxed and have just a few benefits from the taxes we pay. But I love to live in Brazil.
I like the people and my country as a whole. I intend to stay here for my entire career. I want to make it with my friends and family around me.
Q. Wouldn’t the infrastructure and facilities in America make it a better place to train?
A. I believe this is most definitely true. It’s easy to open an academy, it’s easy to get equipment. Everything is easier. Anything that makes it easier for you to train and work out naturally facilitates your evolution an athlete.
Supplements are affordable in America for one. If you want to use supplements here in Brazil, you will have to splurge a lot of money on them.
Thank God, at least in this department, I have the sponsorship of (Brazilian supplement company) Integral Medica and they support me with everything I need. But it’s true that training in Brazil is more difficult.
What did he say again?
Q. Do you believe your lack of English is holding you back in your UFC career?
A. I don’t believe so. I can express myself and this is enough. People can understand what I am feeling when I can communicate in my broken English. Yes, I speak Portuguese first but if necessary I can at least express myself in English and I feel this is enough.
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