The UFC middleweight division may have just gained a serious contender after Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza dismantled Ed Herman to kick off the final Strikeforce card on Saturday night.
As a former Strikeforce champion, Jacare was already going to be a highly touted fighter when he transitioned to the UFC, but for his final fight with the promotion he got a bit of a measuring stick by facing multi-time Octagon veteran Ed Herman.
Since losing the strap to Luke Rockhold in 2011, Souza has been working to improve his entire MMA game and it showed once again with his latest performance.
Souza was quick to the mat with a takedown early, and showed extreme confidence in his hands going after Herman throughout the fight.
As the round wore on, Jacare’s confidence grew and with Herman against the cage he shot in again and scooped up the former Ultimate Fighter finalist and dropped him square on the mat.
It didn’t take long for the world champion jiu-jitsu practitioner to get in the right position to lock up a kimura, and with his leg over Herman’s head, the Colorado based fighter had nowhere to go.
Jacare wrenched up on the hold, twisting his opponent’s joints in a direction they were not meant to go, and Herman had no choice but to tap.
The win marks Jacare’s third in a row and gives him plenty of momentum as he looks to make his UFC debut later this year.
The former Strikeforce champion should be considered one of the top prospects coming in and could give anyone at 185lbs a run for their money.