Last weekend at UFC 256, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (26-9, 1 NC) returned to the middleweight division after a brief stop at light heavyweight in 2019. Jacare was taking on the surging Kevin Holland (21-5).
Holland had won four fights in a row in 2020, but he was looking for that signature UFC victory over Jacare. When the fight got started, things were going well for Jacare. Souza was able to catch a low kick and take Holland to the ground.
I personally predicted Jacare to submit Holland in this fight. When the fight got to the ground so quickly with both fighters dry, I figured it was bad news for Holland. However, it was quite the opposite.
Holland did a fantastic job of attacking from his back. His jiu jitsu looked slick and Jacare couldn’t get anything going. About 90 seconds into the round, Jacare landed some big shots that caused Holland to smile.
Out of no where, Holland whipped a shot from his back that hit Jacare in the forehead. Jacare was damaged by the shot and Holland got up to finish Jacare against the cage. It was the third straight UFC loss for Souza.
What’s next after UFC 256?
This was a really tough loss for Jacare Souza. At 41 years old, Jacare needed this win badly to keep his roster spot secure within the UFC. Right now, the promotion is going through an evaluation period where they are planning to make some serious cuts.
Yoel Romero was just released by the UFC a couple of weeks ago after fighting for the title in February. As mentioned, Souza is 41 years old and he’s 1-4 in his last five trips inside the octagon.
Given the current landscape of things, there might be a strong chance that we’ve seen the last of Jacare inside the UFC. For the record, I don’t believe that Jacare is done fighting, but I think the promotion might seriously look at cutting ties.
Souza fought the current UFC light heavyweight champion to a split decision a year ago. He’s definitely got something left in the tank, but if you’re a high earning veteran with no path towards the title, the promotion might part ways. Jacare would seemingly fall into that category.