Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is no longer on the UFC roster.
The perennial UFC middleweight contender broke his arm in a submission loss to Andre Muniz at UFC 262 last Saturday in Houston. It turns out that it was the final fight on Souza’s UFC contract and he is now a free agent, UFC officials told ESPN on Thursday.
Souza’s manager Andre Pederneiras confirmed the validity of that information Thursday with ESPN. “Jacare” does not yet know what his future will bring in combat sports, but will continue to rehab his broken arm, Pederneiras said.
“‘Jacare’ just wants to take a rest now and take care of his family for now,” Pederneiras said.
At UFC 262, Muniz caught Souza in an armbar and Souza did not tap. Muniz torqued on the arm and it broke with an audible snap, causing referee Jacob Montalvo to step in immediately and all off the fight. It was the first submission loss of Souza’s excellent career. He is one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors to ever make the transition to MMA.
Souza underwent successful surgery to repair the broken humerus Tuesday, according to his Instagram. “Jacare” returned to his Florida home Wednesday, per Instagram.
“So happy to return to my home and see my children again, after almost 10 days,” Souza wrote. “I thank you once again for all the support and affection in the messages you are sending me.”
Souza (26-10, 1 NC) has been one of the best middleweight fighters in MMA for about a decade. The Brazil native is a former Strikeforce middleweight champion and was a regular threat for the UFC 185-pound bet with wins over the likes of former champion Chris Weidman and current contender Derek Brunson.
Souza, 41, has dropped four straight and six of his last eight overall.