Tag: Ronaldo Souza

UFC 256 results: Kevin Holland makes history with 5th win in 2020 after insane KO of ‘Jacare’ Souza

Kevin Holland capped off a remarkable 2020 with an insane finish.

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]’s ridiculous fighting pace this year paid off Saturday in the form of UFC history and his biggest win to date against [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] at UFC 256.

Holland (21-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) became just the third fighter in UFC history to go 5-0 in a calendar year when he beat perennial contender “Jacare” (26-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC) by first-round knockout, courtesy of some wild strikes from bottom to set up the finish.

Only two others in modern UFC history have hit the 5-0 mark in a calendar year. Neil Magny did it in 2014, taking 266 days to accomplish the feat. Roger Huerta’s run in 2007 took 308 days. Holland blew both out of the water, getting all his wins in a 210-day stretch.

Holland came out swinging with a big overhand, but his aggression led to a quick takedown from Souza. Holland was aggressive from his back, throwing hard elbows and attacking with submissions. Souza was happy to engage in the grappling and from top.

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The pair engaged in some loud talk, then Holland did something remarkable, landing some big shots from the bottom that stunned Souza. Then Holland stood up and landed savage punches to fold Souza backward on his knees to finish it at the 1:45 mark of Round 1.

Now on the biggest upward trajectory of his career, Holland’s five-fight UFC winning streak at 185 pounds is good for second best in the division, trailing only champion Israel Adesanya, who is current on a nine-fight winning streak in the weight class.

The middleweight bout was part of the UFC 256 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 256 results include:

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‘Jacare’ Souza not concerned about UFC cuts: ‘I’m in a different situation’ than Yoel Romero

The former Strikeforce champion says his situation is different than the recently released Yoel Romero.

Ronaldo Souza  is not concerned about his standing with the UFC.

The longtime middleweight contender doesn’t think his job with the Las Vegas-based promotion will be on the line on Saturday night when he takes on Kevin Holland at UFC 256.

There’s been plenty of speculation on which fighters could potentially lose their job with the UFC before the year’s end, as UFC president Dana White told the media the organization was planning to cut 60 fighters from their inflated roster.

One of the recent casualties was top contender Yoel Romero, a man to whom Souza (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) once lost. Like Romero, Souza is in his 40s and coming off losses.

Yet despite the similarities, the 41-year-old Souza is says his situation is much different than Romero’s.

“No, for me it’s normal, I’m in a different situation,” Souza told reporters Wednesday at the UFC 256 virtual media day. “I have a fight coming up, Romero turned down many fights and many events because he couldn’t fight. So I’m in a different situation, but I’m ready for whatever the UFC puts in front (of me).

“I’m working, I did a very hard and good training camp and I’m going to show to the UFC and everyone who I am and the champ.”

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Souza was originally scheduled to take on Marvin Vettori at UFC 256. Vettori ended up fighting a week earlier against Jack Hermansson and Holland was moved back a week to meet Souza as he was unable to compete earlier due to a positive COVID-19 test.

Swapping Vettori for Holland is a big style change, but Souza is ready to prove he still belongs among the best middleweights in the world.

“Vettori is left handed, Holland is a right handed,” Souza said. “Vettori has short arms, Holland is a tall, long guy, but I did a very hard training camp for this guy. I brought big guys that helped me so I trained gard. I’m ready to fight against Holland. Lets go.”

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Kevin Holland vs. ‘Jacare’ Souza added to UFC 256

Kevin Holland didn’t have to wait a day to find a new date and opponent as he tries to go 5-0 in 2020.

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] lost an upcoming main event slot due to a recent COVID-19 diagnosis, but he’s already got another fight lined up — and it will be one of the biggest names he’s ever faced.

He’ll now meet former Strikeforce middleweight champion [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] at UFC 256 on Dec. 12. The UFC announced the bout during Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 18 broadcast.

Holland (20-5 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was scheduled to meet Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC on ESPN 19 on Dec. 5, but was pulled from the fight Saturday after word of his COVID diagnosis broke. Hermansson will now fight Marvin Vettori instead.

Holland is looking to go 5-0 in 2020. He has wins over Anthony Hernandez, Joaquin Buckley, Darren Stewart and Charlie Ontiveros, with three of those victories by finish.

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Souza (26-8 UFC, 9-5 UFC) makes a long-awaited octagon return. He was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall at UFC 249, but the day before the show, he became the first UFC fighter to test positive for COVID-19 during the current era and withdrew. He’ll try to shake off a two-fight skid.

Souza was initially slated to fight Vettori at UFC 256 before Vettori was shuffled to the Hermansson fight.

UFC 256, which will be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, will be headlined by Deiveson Figueiredo’s flyweight title defense against Brandon Moreno, with both fighters competing on 21-day turnarounds.

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Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza steps in to face Marvin Vettori at UFC 256

Marvin Vettori will finally get his wish to fight a big name when he faces Ronaldo Souza at UFC 256.

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] will finally get his wish to fight a big name in the UFC.

[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] has been pulled from a planned matchup with Vettori (15-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) at UFC 256, and [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) will instead step in to face the Italian middleweight on Dec. 12. MMA Junkie confirmed the change in plans after an initial post by Vettori’s coach on social media.

Akhmedov is expected to receive a different opponent, instead.

Since losing to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in 2018, Vettori has won three in a row. Most recently, he submitted Karl Roberson in the first round at UFC on ESPN 10 in June. Prior to that, he picked up back-to-back decision wins over Cezar Ferreira and Andrew Sanchez.

“Jacare” Souza is enduring the roughest stretch of his career with losses in three of his past four fights. After knocking out Chris Weidman at UFC 230 in 2018, Souza has dropped back-to-back fights to Jack Hermansson and, most recently, Jan Blachowicz in November 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 22. He was scheduled to face Uriah Hall at UFC 249 in May but was forced out due to a positive COVID-19 test.

With the change, the UFC’s Dec. 12 lineup now includes:

    • Champ Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson – for women’s featherweight title
    • Champ Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – for bantamweight title
    • Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
    • Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
    • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
    • Omari Akhmedov vs. opponent TBA

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UFC on ESPN 14 free fight: Robert Whittaker makes statement with stoppage win over ‘Jacare’

Ahead of his main event Saturday, watch Robert Whittaker’s finish over ‘Jacare’ Souza at UFC on Fox 24.

When [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] was matched up against his toughest test to date, he shined.

Riding a six-fight winning streak, Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) faced [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] at UFC on FOX 24 in April 2017, where he proved that he was a legitimate contender at 185 pounds.

Souza pressed Whittaker early, while Whittaker stayed light on his feet, moving side-to-side to regain center of the octagon. Souza then stacked Whittaker against the cage, dragging him down to the mat briefly, but Whittaker defended well and broke free. Whittaker continued to pepper Souza with the jab, lunging forward with combinations.

In Round 2, Whittaker dropped Souza with a big right hand but didn’t spend too much time in Souza’s guard, letting him back up. Whittaker continued to stalk Souza, eventually landing a head kick, which stunned “Jacare.” Whittaker was all over him, splitting Souza open with big elbows of the ground-and-pound variety until the referee stopped the fight.

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Whittaker went on to beat Yoel Romero twice en route to capturing the UFC middleweight title. However, in his last outing at UFC 243, he lost his title when he was stopped by Israel Adesanya in the second round of their clash.

Whittaker returns Saturday when he meets [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 14 headliner at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Before he faces Till, relive Whittaker’s finish over Souza in the video above.

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Combat Rewind, May 28: Rapid-fire knockouts and a magnificent Marcelo Garcia

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

  • Pancrase 287: [autotag]Hiroshige Tanaka[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hatsu Hioki[/autotag] – May 28, 2017
  • ADCC World Championships 2005: [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] – May 28, 2005
  • Cage Warriors 42: [autotag]Tim Newman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Grzegorz Tredowski[/autotag] – May 28, 2011
  • ADCC World Championships 2005: [autotag]Marcelo Garcia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] – May 28, 2005
  • Pancrase – Brave 5: [autotag]Yoshiro Maeda[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Isamu Sugiuchi[/autotag] – May 28, 2004
  • ADCC World Championships 2005: [autotag]Marcelo Garcia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricco Rodriguez[/autotag] – May 28, 2005
  • Cage Rage Contenders 1: [autotag]Jake Bostwick[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Troy Gorman[/autotag] – May 28, 2006
  • ADCC World Championships 2005: [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dennis Hallman[/autotag] – May 28, 2005
  • Pancrase 287: [autotag]Yuya Wakamatsu[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Takahiro Furumaki[/autotag] – May 28, 2017

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.

Combat Rewind, May 28

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.

Combat Rewind, May 17: The guy who knocked out Israel Adesanya is back

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

  • GLORY 65: [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jason Wilnis[/autotag] – May 17, 2019
  • ADCC World Championships 2003: [autotag]Eddie Bravo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Royler Gracie[/autotag] – May 17, 2003
  • ADCC World Championships 2003: [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Matt Lindland[/autotag] – May 17, 2003
  • CFFC 74: [autotag]Joey Pierotti[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Manny Walo[/autotag] – May 17, 2019
  • ADCC World Championships 2003: [autotag]Marcelo Garcia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vitor Ribeiro[/autotag] – May 17, 2003
  • ADCC World Championships 2003: [autotag]Marcelo Garcia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Otto Olson[/autotag] – May 17, 2003
  • ADCC World Championships 2003: [autotag]Marcio Cruz[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] – May 17, 2003

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.

‘Jacare’ Souza issues statement after positive COVID-19 test, wants Uriah Hall fight rebooked

Jacare Souza has broken his silence to provide his first update after testing positive for coronavirus at UFC 249.

[autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] has spoken out after testing positive for coronavirus.

Souza (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who was scheduled to face [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] last week at UFC 249, received a positive test for COVID-19 one day before the event and, as a result, his bout with Hall was scrapped. Two of Souza’s cornermen also tested positive.

On Wednesday night, Souza released his first statement on social media, saying that he hopes his fight with Hall can be rebooked as soon as he’s medically cleared.

“I was very sad to not be able to fight at UFC 249, but I want you to know that, as soon as I’m medically cleared, I hope to reschedule my fight with Uriah Hall so that I can put on the show that everyone expects,” Souza said. “I thank my corners for the partnership, my opponent for the words of support and the UFC for all the care.

“Thank you all for the kind messages I have received in the last few days. The upcoming weeks I will be secluded with my family and coaches and focused on our health so I can be back soon.”

View this post on Instagram

Fiquei muito triste por não poder lutar no UFC 249, mas quero que saibam que, assim que estiver liberado, espero remarcar minha luta com o Uriah Hall para que eu possa dar o show que todos esperam. Agradeço aos meus corners pela parceria, meu adversário pelas palavras de apoio e ao @ufc pelo cuidado. Obrigado a todos pelo carinho e pelas mensagens que tenho recebido nos últimos dias. Nas próximas semanas estarei recluso com minha família e treinadores e focado em nossa saúde para logo poder estar de volta. Muito obrigado! I was very sad to not be able to fight at UFC 249, but I want you to know that, as soon as I'm medically cleared, I hope to reschedule my fight with Uriah Hall so that I can put on the show that everyone expects. I thank my corners for the partnership, my opponent for the words of support and the UFC for all the care. Thank you all for the kind messages I have received in the last few days. The upcoming weeks I will be secluded with my family and coaches and focused on our health so I can be back soon. Thank you!

A post shared by Ronaldo “Jacaré” 🐊 Souza (@ronaldojacare) on

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Upon arriving in Jacksonville last Wednesday, Souza notified the UFC that he’d been in contact with a family member who had COVID-19. Souza wore gloves and a mask at weigh-ins and was visibly distant from Hall at the face-offs. But a couple of hours later, Souza was notified that he tested positive, the second known UFC fighter to be infected with COVID-19 after Lyman Good came forward last month.

According to UFC president Dana White, both Souza and Hall were paid for their canceled fight.

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