Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza fought out his UFC contract with the final fight on his deal occurring this past Saturday in his loss at UFC 262.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported that Souza’s loss to Andre Muniz was the final fight on his UFC contract making the 41-year old a free agent.
Muniz became the first fighter to submit Souza in his nearly eighteen-year career. Muniz won with an armbar that broke Souza’s arm in a horrifying scene that was replayed several times on the broadcast.
Souza, a multi-time World Jiu-Jitsu champion and among the best grapplers to transfer to MMA full-time, began his pro career in September 2003 and worked his way to becoming Strikeforce Middleweight Champion in 2010.
After losing the championship to Luke Rockhold, Souza won his next eight fights until a close split decision loss to Yoel Romero at UFC 194. The fight was set to determine the next 185-pound title challenger in the UFC and was the closest Souza came to the UFC Middleweight Championship despite being regarded as one of the top middleweights for years.
Souza’s last win occurred in November 2019 when he knocked out Chris Weidman at UFC 230 before losing his next four fights to Jack Hermansson, Jan Blachowicz, Kevin Holland, and Muniz. The loss to Blachowicz was Souza’s lone attempt to move up to the UFC’s light heavyweight before returning to 185-pounds.
