Jacare Souza reflects on loss to Robert Whittaker

Back in April, top ranked middleweight Jacare Souza stepped into the Octagon with Robert Whittaker for a highly anticipated middleweight showdown. Unfortunately for Jacare, who was ranked higher than Whittaker going into the fight, he lost the scrap via TKO, snapping a 2-fight win streak.

Now, with Jacare ranked at #5 on the UFC’s middleweight rankings, and Whittaker set to fight Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight title this summer, Jacare spoke to Combate to reflect on his fight with ‘The Reaper’:

“Truth is, I screwed myself. My opponent had a better gameplan and he managed to implement it, so he won. Honestly, I thought I was going to score a nice win, I was very confident, but it didn’t work, unfortunately. I think he had a better day than me. I even managed to take him down. When the first round ended, I told my coaches I felt he was tired and I would coast.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t get him again and he started to land strikes until he won. Now, I have to train and come back better. The fight is over, there’s no use dwelling on the past. I have to focus on the future and close the gaps in my game. I should have waited a little longer, but it’s gone now. Unfortunately, the short break wasn’t so good for me.”

Souza is currently recovering from surgery still, and has yet to book another fight in the Octagon. With that being said however, following the loss to Whittaker, he signed a new 8 fight deal with the UFC.

With the upcoming interim middleweight title fight between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker, and Michael Bisping fighting the winner, Souza could very well be returning to a middleweight division that looks rather different than when he left it.

on 6/29/2017.