Jacare Souza Predicts Chris Weidman Will Retain His Title at UFC 194
The UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor fight card on Dec. 12 may be headlined by the featherweight title unification bout between champion Jose Aldo and interim titleholder Conor McGregor, but the division that will be most impacted following the event will be the 185-pound weight class.
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The top-four ranked middleweights in the world compete on the pay-per-view event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Champion Chris Weidman puts his title on the line for the fifth time against No. 1 contender Luke Rockhold in the co-main event. Leading into the two title fights that headline the fight card, second-ranked middleweight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza faces third-ranked Yoel Romero.
The winner of the Souza-Romero match-up will become the top contender in the division and likely face the winner between Weidman and Rockhold next. Souza, who has fought Rockhold before, predicts that Weidman will retain his belt.
“It’s a tough fight for the champion. Rockhold is an impressive fighter,” said Souza during a recent scrum interview in Rio de Janeiro.
“He keeps his pace during the fight, and that can complicate anyone, including Weidman, but I believe the champion has more chances to retain his title,” he said.
Souza relinquished his Strikeforce middleweight title to Rockhold in September 2011. While he expects Weidman to win on Dec. 12, Souza has been calling for a rematch with Rockhold for the last four years. If he can get past Romero, which is no easy feat, Souza has said that he has no preference of he faces for the title.
