Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza put himself back into title contention at UFC 198 with a first-round technical-knockout win over Vitor Belfort in the co-main event in Brazil on Saturday.
MMAFighting.com provided the official time of the stoppage:
The striker vs. grappler narrative was apparent in the early going. Belfort appeared to be the crisper kickboxer in the opening minutes, but it didn't take long for Souza to get the fight to the ground, where he showed his apparent grappling advantage.
Jacare used aggressive ground-and-pound moves to open a nasty cut around Belfort's eye. After the doctor allowed the fight to continue, Belfort was able to work to his feet for a moment, but that success was short-lived.
Souza took Belfort down again and worked his way into a mount. From there, a steady onslaught of strikes forced the referee to call the fight before the first bell rang.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com commented on the impressive performance by Souza:
Jacare had to be relieved to have his hand raised again. His last fight against Yoel Romero saw him lose a close split decision that snapped an eight-fight win streak that included seven finishes.
The win against Belfort helped him recoup some of that lost momentum. The two fighters entered the fight ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the middleweight division in the UFC rankings.
With the champion, Luke Rockhold, and the No. 1 fighter, Chris Weidman, set for a rematch at UFC 199, it makes sense for Souza to be the next in line to face the winner of that fight.
If the champion is able to hold serve and beat Weidman again, it would give Jacare a familiar opponent. Rockhold took Souza's middleweight Strikeforce title in 2011. The opportunity for Jacare to return the favor would make for an interesting storyline going forward.
Souza maintains that won't be his motivation, though. He's focused only on getting UFC gold around his waist, per Brent Brookhouse of MMAjunkie:
To fight for the belt is my ultimate goal. It’s where I want to get to. I think this fight accredits me to get that title shot. I don’t see it going any other way. My main focus is getting to that title shot.
My goal is to get the belt. I’m not focusing on any specific fighter. My goal is to win this fight and fight for the belt.
It's safe to say Souza isn't the same fighter he was in 2011. Nor is Rockhold. Both have proved they can compete with anyone in the UFC, and enough time has passed to make the matchup the best fight the UFC could put together in the 185-pound division.
The loss also put Belfort at a crossroads. At 39 years old, with 36 professional fights to his name, it's fair to wonder how long he will or should stick around. His No. 3 ranking would have you believe he's still a top middleweight, but the odds that he'll get another crack at the title plummeted Saturday.
He does own a win over the current champion, but that doesn't necessarily mean another shot at the title.
Belfort could settle into being a Brazilian attraction for the UFC. He's fought in the country in four of his last five fights, and the organization will always have use for fighters with name recognition in the market.
However, his days as a contender could be over after Saturday's loss.
In the battle of highly ranked Brazilians, Souza earned the potential rematch with Rockhold and a shot at the title.
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