Jacare Souza Was Not Interested In Fighting Jack Hermansson, But UFC Promised Title Upon Win!
Jacare Souza was set to meet Yoel Romero in the main event of UFC Fight Night 150, which is set to go down tomorrow evening (Saturday, April 27, 2019). But “Soldier of God” was forced to pull out due to pneumonia issues.
Shortly after, Jacare Souza was slated for the match against dangerous undefeated Brazilian striker Paulo Costa, but it also fell through.
In the end, a rising star from Sweden Jack “The Joker” Hermansson accepted the bout on a three-week notice.
Jacare says the negotiation weeks were very stressful for him. The Brazilian grappler is adamant he accepted the bout against Paulo Costa, but “Borrachinha” swiftly pulled out. Souza also believes it was a wise decision by Costa. (h/t Combate)
“These negotiations were very stressful to me,” Souza said. “At first, I was supposed to fight Romero, I was really excited, I like rematches, he’s a tough guy, number one in the rankings. When I heard he was down with pneumonia, it was complicated. A while after, they offered me [Paulo Costa], they told me he had accepted the fight. I wasn’t really to into that fight, but I talked to my manager and he told me was a young guy who had some good wins, so I accepted it. A while later, he changed his mind. He had four full weeks to train, a young man like himself should have had no trouble making weight, but he was smart. It’s not a good idea to fight me with just four weeks to train. The only one who is stupid and crazy enough to do stupid things like that is me.”
Jacare Souza didn’t want to accept any other opponent unless UFC puts a title match on the line. UFC president Dana White promised Souza a 185-pound belt bout. But only if he earns a win at the main event of UFC Fight Night 150.
“I was not going to take (the Hermansson fight) at all,” he said. “There were 10 days of negotiations, everybody was putting a lot of pressure on me, until Dana White, Mick Maynard and the UFC promised that if I won the fight, I would fight for the belt. We have this deal and I hope they deliver. I’m doing my part, I’m ready to fight, make weight and put on a good performance.”
Jacare Souza ((26-6-1 NC MMA, 9-3 UFC) had ups and downs in his last three matches. After a head kick KO over Derek Brunson, he was defeated by Kelvin Gastelum via split decision. Souza last fought at UFC 230, on November 3, 2018, and surprisingly put the former champ Chris Weidman to sleep via third-round KO.
Give us your predictions on Jacare Vs Hermansson. Can the former DREAM and Strikeforce champ get past dangerous rising star?
