Photo: Steven Ryan (Getty Images)
Not much has eluded Ronaldo Souza during his stellar combat sports career, but as he nears the age of 40, “Jacare” remains in search of Ultimate Fighting Championship gold.
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Souza will meet former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Jack Hermansson in the UFC Fight Night 150 main event on Saturday at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, where he can move one step closer to a shot at the undisputed middleweight crown. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace last competed at UFC 230 in November, when he struck down Chris Weidman with third-round punches. Souza has compiled a 9-3 record since joining the UFC roster in 2013, losing only to onetime Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero, current 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker and “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner Kelvin Gastelum.
As “Jacare” makes final preparations for his showdown with Hermansson, here are five things you should know about him:
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Jacare Souza Slideshow
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1. His nickname suits him.
“Jacare” means alligator in Portuguese. It seems a fitting moniker for someone with almost unimaginable grip strength, as Souza has been known to scale ropes with one hand in the gym.
Photo: Steven Ryan (Getty Images)
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2. His grappling credentials speak for themselves.
Souza is an eight-time gold medalist at the Mundials and a two-time gold medalist at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships, two of the most prestigious competitions in the world.
Photo: David Becker/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
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3. Opponents go the mat with him at their own peril.
One of the sport’s most decorated ground fighters, Souza has delivered more than half (14) of his 26 professional victories by submission: four by arm-triangle choke, three by rear-naked choke, three by armbar, two by kimura, one by triangle choke and one by guillotine choke. His list of victims includes Robbie Lawler, Gegard Mousasi and Matt Lindland.
Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
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4. He also has a championship pedigree in MMA.
Souza is one of five men who held the Strikeforce middleweight championship, along with Frank Shamrock, Cung Le, Jake Shields and Luke Rockhold.
Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
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5. He does not waste time.
“Jacare” has 18 first-round finishes to his credit, two of them of the sub-minute variety. He struck Victor Babkir into submission in 56 seconds at Jungle Fight 2 on May 15, 2004 and scored a 41-second knockout of Derek Brunson at Strikeforce “Rousey vs. Kaufman” on Aug. 18, 2012.
Photo: Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
