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#4. Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza – former UFC middleweight contender
Widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters to have never held or challenged for a UFC title during his stint with the promotion, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza remains one of the octagon’s most highly credentialed grapplers.
A true legend in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Jacare won eight World Jiu-Jitsu titles, including gold medals in the openweight class in 2003, 2004 and 2005.In terms of no-gi grappling, the Brazilian was equally successful. He claimed gold medals in the prestigious ADCC World Championships in 2005 and 2009.
While his MMA career didn’t get off to the best start, he was knocked out by journeyman Jorge Patino in 2003, it soon picked up after he began to train with UFC legend Randy Couture, who he faced in a grappling exhibition in 2006.
Always at an advantage compared to some of his fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners due to his explosive athleticism, Jacare quickly developed a well-rounded, dangerous MMA game. He defeated the likes of Matt Lindland, Tim Kennedy and Robbie Lawler en route to claiming the Strikeforce middleweight title.
2013 saw Jacare move into the UFC. By that point, his striking was almost as dangerous as his submission game. During his time in the octagon, he took out the likes of Chris Weidman, Derek Brunson and Yushin Okami. While he never quite got to the top of the ladder, he remained a perennial contender throughout his tenure with the promotion.
In fact, there may well be an argument to suggest that of all the Brazilian jiu-jitsu legends to move into the UFC, Jacare was the greatest.
#3. Marcio ‘Pe De Pano’ Cruz – former UFC heavyweight contender
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner from the age of 17, Marcio ‘Pe De Pano’ Cruz became a legend in the world of grappling in the early 2000’s. He claimed six Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championships, became a Brazilian national champion on five occasions, won the Pan-American championship on eight occasions and claimed the 2003 ADCC World Championship too.
Renowned as a showman in the world of grappling, Cruz entered into infamy when he mimed surfing on an opponent’s back during a bout. The list of greats he defeated includes Ricco Rodriguez, Marcelo Garcia, Roger Gracie and Fabricio Werdum.
When ‘Pe De Pano’ entered the UFC in 2005, though, hopes weren’t that high for him due to his status as a neophyte in striking. However, he submitted Keigo Kunihara in his first octagon appearance and then stunned everyone by taking out former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in his second fight via TKO. That win moved Cruz into UFC title contention, but a questionable split decision loss to Jeff Monson prevented him from claiming a title shot in 2006.
An equally controversial loss to Andrei Arlovski, which saw ‘The Pitbull’ use a fence grab to set up a series of fight-ending punches, followed. Surprisingly, the grappling legend was then cut by the UFC.
However, ‘Pe De Pano’ then went onto win six of his next seven fights on the regional scene, with his only loss coming to Glover Teixeira. Quite why he never returned to the UFC remains a mystery and his story should be seen as one of untapped potential.
