Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza says he'll fight anyone – except Anderson Silva

By steamrolling the top-ranked Yushin Okami in his second UFC appearance, Ronaldo Souza‘s title aspirations were a topic of conversation at the post-event news conference for UFC Fight Night 28. 

That’s where “Jacare” (19-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) knocked out Okami (29-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in less than three minutes in the evening’s FOX Sports 1-televised co-main event at Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 

Prior to the fight, Okami was ranked No. 4 in the USA Today Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA middleweight rankings, while Souza stood at No. 8. 

Souza, a former Strikeforce champion, is happy with the UFC and has an open mind about his next opponent. But one name apparently is off limits: former champ Anderson Silva. 

In December, Silva gets a chance to win back the middleweight title he lost in July to current champ Chris Weidman. If successful, it would create an impasse for both Souza and the UFC. 

Souza, who trains with Silva in Brazil, said he isn’t thinking about such a scenario following his triumphant win, which was his fifth straight. But he made it clear that he’d be going against his principles to fight a teammate. 

“Anderson is someone I don’t want to fight,” Souza said. “He’s someone who’s in my camp; he’s my friend. He helps me, and I help him. So I wouldn’t be a good character if I said I wanted to fight him. 

“But, I’m a UFC fighter, and I hope the UFC never gives us this fight, but I’m ready to face anyone in the world in my weight class, and also at 205.”

Light heavyweight would, of course, provide a wealth of new options for Souza, who’s made his biggest strides at 185 pounds. And the scenario posed at the media gathering may never materialize if Weidman is able to defend his belt. But it does create another potential situation such as the one at supercamp American Kickboxing Academy, where teammates refuse to fight one another. 

That situation caused UFC President Dana White plenty of headaches.

Souza, though, remains positive about his future in the promotion. 

“I’ve not complained, because I’ve done two very quick fights,” he said. “The UFC already gave me very strong opponents, and I like this opponent very much. And I tell you, I’m ready for anyone. I’m not going to ask for any opponents. I’m going to go to camp and train and be ready to face any opponent, because I’m an employee who loves to work.” 

The Brazilian’s first task is to recover from a foot injury he suffered early in the bout with Okami.  

“I think it was when I gave him a front kick,” Souza said. “I think it hit his elbow and it hurt my toe, and it really hurt a lot. But I focused, I forgot the pain, and I was able to do a great fight.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 28, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Belo Horizonte.