'Jacare' Souza talks 'peacock' Rockhold, 'liar' Bisping and the elusive UFC title shot

BRASILIA, Brazil – UFC middleweight Ronaldo Souza was never one to hide his feelings. And he’s not about to start now.

During a fan-oriented Q&A ahead of UFC Fight Night 95’s ceremonial weigh-ins, a riled-up “Jacare” (23-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC) accused ex-champ Luke Rockhold (15-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) of running, current champ Michael Bisping (29-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) of lying, and title challenger Dan Henderson (32-14 MMA, 9-8 UFC) of disrespecting the division.

Later pressed on his inflammatory comments, “Jacare” stood by them – and, in his usual humorous tone, explained why he might not seem like the most chipper of middleweights right now.

“There’s no way to be joyful with the way we are being screwed over,” Souza told MMAjunkie. “When I fought (Yushin) Okami, it was like, ‘If you get past Okami, it’s the belt.’ I knocked him out. Okami had never received such a beating in his life, so I knocked him out.

“Then Lyoto (Machida) fights Mousasi, puts on that bland, five-round fight and gets the title shot. I fight Mousasi, submit him, beat him up, and then what? I don’t fight for the belt. Same with Vitor Belfort.

“The guy is a phenomenon, fought for the belt millions of times. ‘If you get past him, you get the fight.’ I beat him up – beat him up a lot, by the way. And I don’t get the shot. OK, then – what am I going to do? Be happy? I can’t.”

Souza’s pleas for a shot at the 185-pound belt are certainly not recent. The bout with Okami, for instance, took place in 2013 – while the Mousasi scrap happened exactly one year later. His lone loss since, from which he bounced back with a bonus-winning TKO of Belfort, was a tight split-decision call that ended with his opponent, Yoel Romero, suspended for a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency violation.

Not that he didn’t come close. After Weidman was forced out of his rematch for the belt against then-champ Rockhold, Souza got the call he’d always wanted – except this time, an injury wouldn’t allow him to say yes. All the while, Souza’s focus on the belt has been clear and, quite often, loud.

Still, in spite of his frustration, Souza maintains he doesn’t hold personal grudges against any of his colleagues. His remarks, he says, stem from honesty – something he thinks the current champ lacks.

“I don’t have personal problems with anyone,” Souza said. “I just want to work. I want to go in the octagon, get my money and come home for my family and children, that’s all.

“I’m just speaking the truth. I’m just being myself. I’ve always been like this. I still don’t (trash talk). I’m not lying. The (Bisping) fight ended, I was in front of him, he said I was a classy opponent and he wanted to share an octagon with him. He’s a liar.

“He picked Dan Henderson. He doesn’t want to share the octagon with me because I’ll beat him and he knows it. I spoke the truth.”

Whether Souza likes it or not, champ Bisping is already scheduled to put his belt on the line against Henderson, ranked No. 14 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, at UFC 204. The two rematch in a headlining affair that Souza says he has zero plans of watching.

No. 4 “Jacare,” in turn, looks to avenge the loss that cost him the Strikeforce belt in 2011 when he squares off against Rockhold, currently ranked No. 2, at UFC Fight Night 101. The rematch, Souza says, would have happened earlier had Rockhold not “ducked” him for years. But he’s still willing to give credit where it’s due.

“I don’t think (he’s conceited),” Souza said. “He’s a confident guy and a great fighter. He’s been a Strikeforce and UFC champion. He’s a respectable guy.”

Check out some of Souza’s candid thoughts on the Rockhold scrap, the elusive UFC belt and his future aspirations.

Where did the ‘Peacock’ nickname for Rockhold come from?

“He’s a handsome guy. He likes to stand out. He’s a model. And he said he wanted to hunt alligators. So I’m going to hunt a peacock. Doesn’t he look like (a peacock)? Isn’t he damn good-looking?

“Of course (the nickname was my idea). I’m multi-purpose. I create. I sing, I dance, I tap. I’m very cool.”

What changed from the first Rockhold match?

“I improved a lot. I’m a little stronger. Something I improved a lot was my strategy. Now I have a strategy to fight. That makes a difference. I now know how to pace myself. I’ve always been a guy with a lot of stamina, but I didn’t know how to pace it. Now I do, and I can fight five rounds with anyone.”

Why the obsession with the belt? Any sentimental attachment to it?

“It’s my job. I want to be the best. And in order for that to happen, I need to fight for the belt. It’s the natural order of things.

“I just think it’s a fulfillment of your work, that’s all. When they took the shot from me, people thought I was down. What? I was back at the gym training the next day. There’s no such thing. I wasn’t the one who made the choice.”

Why is Bisping a liar?

“He’s a liar. He said I was a world-class opponent, that he’d love to share an octagon with me. But he’s lying. He’s scared because I’m going to beat him up. Then he picked Dan Henderson.”

Will you watch the Bisping vs. Henderson match?

“I won’t. I don’t feel like watching it. There’s a bunch of other things to do. I have three kids at home, I’m not going to be idle.

“I want them to go screw themselves. I just want to go in there healthy and put on a good fight.”

Apart from Rockhold, who did you ask to fight now?

“I asked for a good fight and I gave them a few opponents. I asked for Luke, which is a fight I’ve wanted for years – in fact I believe he’s always been scared to rematch me. And I asked for Weidman and even Romero – but it’s even unfair to give a guy who’s just coming back from a doping suspension an opportunity for this fight.”

Why do you think they’re scared of you?

“I don’t think they’re scared. I think the only one who ducked it, who chickened out, was Rockhold, the peacock.”

Why do you think the title shot has not been given to you yet?

“I have no idea. I think of it this way – in order for you to make a guy who sells pay-per-view, you need to give him opportunities to fight. When he fights, he might become champ. When he’s champion, then you’ll see whether he’s a good or bad pay-per-view draw. Because what they’re doing is, they’re taking the opportunities of the up-and-comers and giving them to those who have been at it forever. In a while, you’ll have what, 50-year-olds fighting at pay-per-views? Do you want to see an old man fighting? You’ve got to let the renewal happen. … They won’t.”

Is your situation similar to Demian Maia’s, for instance?

“With Demian, I think he’ll have his chance. What happened with my friend is that when he fought Rory McDonald, who was a ranked guy, he lost. And then he did many fights with non-ranked guys and that was bad for Demian. And I think the UFC screwed him over, because they needed to give someone good for him to submit – like they did with Carlos Condit. Now, there’s nowhere to run, to give him the opportunity to fight for the belt.”

You talk about merit and disrespect. Does the CM Punk situation bother you as an athlete?

“It doesn’t. Let’s see: I own the UFC. There’s a guy who’s coming in to take a beating. He’ll get beat up and make me money? Let the guy get beat up. Is he taking someone else’s spot? Is he tainting anyone’s image?

“He’s making money because he sells. Like he did at WWE. Let him get beat up and make his money.

“I actually stopped to watch him get beat up. I expected him to do something, but he looked like a turtle. It was ugly.”

You’re already 36. Do you already think of your post-fight career and make future plans?

“I’m old as (expletive). I have many plans – one of them is retiring from fighting soon. I don’t know, (in) a few years.

“I like teaching classes. I teach classes for underprivileged kids. I think I’m going to work at a social project. I believe I’m going to teach my jiu-jitsu classes that I like, and I think I’m going to put together a business, which is a possibility I’ve been studying.”

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