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Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza is very happy that he will not need to cut down weight all the way to 185-lbs, because this time, he will be fighting in a Light Heavyweight bout at UFC Sao Paolo.
Souza will be going up against Jan Blachowicz at Fight Night 164 in what would be his first move up in weight after 16 years of fighting as a Middleweight.
MMA Fighting reported on what he felt about it, and what plans he had for his rival in the Octagon.
Souza excited about being "happyweight"
Being a fighter with a bigger frame, meeting the 185-pound mark was always difficult work for 'Jacare'. However, this time around that had not posed a problem and he feels great about the shape he is in right now, and former Light Heavyweight Daniel Cormier apparently has a name for it which he learnt awhile back.
"I’ve always cut too much. I’m a big guy for the middleweight division, so it has been great for me. I met (Daniel) Cormier once while I was eating, and he (told me) we’re now fighting at ‘happyweight.’ That’s exactly it – happyweight. I’m in great shape. It’s awesome.”
But Souza also believes that the important thing is to do the work in the Octagon instead of only making comments off-cage.
"You can't talk too much before things actually happen," he said, bringing up how Luke Rockhold, who also moved up to Light Heavyweight from Middleweight, was talking about Thiago Santos "like he was nothing" and then went on to lose his fight against Souza's current opponent, Blachowicz.
Souza confident about using more strength
Blachowicz will obviously be a taller and heavier opponent for Souza, with a longer reach as well. But Souza does not think it will be a problem for him, as he has ample experience of fighting rivals heavier than him back when he competed in jiu-jitsu.
"I always did great against heavier opponents when I competed in jiu-jitsu. I have no problem fighting heavier guys, and it won’t be different this time. I’m in great shape, and I will surprise a lot of people. I’ll go there and do a good job."
Souza is a two-time Absolute Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and also a black belt.
He believes that not having to lose weight will contribute towards better cardio for him inside the cage and he will be able to use his strength to the best of his abilities to surprise his opponent.
The fight will take place in the main event of UFC Fight Night 164 on November 16 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera Gymnasium at Sao Paolo, Brazil.
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