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What’s the story?
As per confirmed by UFC’s official Brazilian Twitter account earlier in the week, a middleweight showdown between UFC veteran Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza and Kelvin Gastelum has now been confirmed to take place at the upcoming UFC 224 pay-per-view.
In case you didn’t know
Souza last competed in the Octagon back in January of this year, when he squared off and defeated Derek Brunson in their rematch via an impressive TKO in the first round, in the main event of UFC on Fox 27.
Meanwhile, Gastelum will head into this fight following a major knockout win over former Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping on the 10th of November 2017.
The heart of the matter
With Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker currently sidelined due to a staph infection, the rest of the UFC’s 185-pound division looks to compete on a regular basis in order to get a shot at Whittaker’s Middleweight Title.
Gastelum, who has previously vowed that he will never return to compete in Brazil, is currently willing to put up an impressive performance against a veteran like Souza, in his home country. Meanwhile, Souza, on the other hand, recently told The MMA Hour that UFC President Dana White has apparently told him that he is next in line for a shot at the Middleweight Championship.
What’s next?
UFC 224 takes place on the 12th May 2018, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and below is the current line-up for the UFC 224 fight card:
Ronaldo Souza vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Vitor Belfort vs. Lyoto Machida
Nick Hein vs. Davi Ramos
Ramazan Emeev vs. Alberto Mino
Junior Albini vs. Aleksei Oliynyk
Cezar Ferreira vs. Karl Roberson
Author’s Take
This fight between Souza and Gastelum is definitely going to be an intriguing one as both men are two of the best Middleweights in the world, I believe.
