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What's the story?
Number three ranked middleweight contender, Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza, is seemingly not appreciative of Anderson Silva being the next in line to get a bang at the title. Following his triumphant victory over Chris Weidman, at UFC 230, Souza believes that neither Silva nor his upcoming competition, Israel Adesanya, are deserving of a shot at the championship belt. His interview with MMAFighting, reveals the details of what he feels in regards to this matter.
In case you didn't know...
'Jacare' Souza last competed in the UFC in a blood-thirsty war against former middleweight champion, Chris Weidman, at UFC 230. Closing in on three minutes of round number three, Souza managed to pull off a fabulous knockout victory over Weidman, making fight fans around the world to believe that he would be next in line for the title, after Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234.
Following a controversial decision win over Division II American wrestler, Derek Brunson, at UFC 208, Anderson Silva will be making a return to the sport after a two-year layoff. Anderson Silva suffered a suspension after the Bruson fight, due to consumption of a banned-performance enhancing substance, making him eligible to return to the Octagon for the UFC 234 co-main event middleweight bout against up and rising star, Israel Adesanya.
The heart of the matter
'Jacare' Souza was recently seen speaking to MMAFighting, where the Brazilian expressed his concern in regards to the status of the middleweight division. He went on to say that Silva is coming off a doping hiatus and that he should sit out and wait for his turn at the middleweight title.
”In my (jiu-jitsu) days, I competed in the state tournament to earn a spot in the World Championship. If I didn’t win the state champion, I didn’t fight the Worlds. (If I won), no one would jump the line. Now, because the guy has a name and everything… The reality is, Anderson is coming off doping, man. Anderson is out of the ranking. Do you understand that?”
He also went on to say that Silva's next opponent, Israel Adesanya, is also not deserving of a title shot yet, as it makes real opportunists like himself, lose faith in the UFC.
”He doesn’t deserve it. The only top middleweight he beat was Derek (Brunson), who was clearly scared. What he did to Derek, excuse me, I did twice and I did better than him, and I’m not even a striker.”
What's next?
Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya will come out all guns blazing with their own arsenal, for their showdown at UFC 234 on February 10th, 2019, at the Rod Laver Arena, in Melbourne, Australia.
Who do you think deserves the next middleweight title shot in the roster? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!
