Former Strikeforce champ and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master Ronaldo Souza has a lot of respect for his opponent’s incredible 2020 campaign in the Octagon. However, ‘Jacare’ is ready to put an end to Kevin Holland’s perfect year at UFC 256.
For most, the past months have been understandably difficult and, unfortunately for him, Jacare hasn’t been excluded from the adversitites the coronavirus pandemic brought to everyday life. After spending time with some high-level training partners, though, the multiple time BJJ world champ believes he’s in better shape than his more recent performances, and expects to prove it to fans on Saturday night.
“I’m all right, I’ve had an excellent camp. I brought in some tough guys to help me.” Jacare told Combate. “Lots of experienced people, like Lyoto Machida. Great coaches, like Adrian Jaoude, my wrestling coach. My camp was very tough. I’m well, happy and relaxed. I’ve really been feeling great physically, it’s been a while since I’ve felt this great. I had been kind of lazy, so I brought some guys over to kick my ass everyday. I brought over coaches, great people to help me. Now I’m in incredible shape. I did a great job and I’ll be excellent in this fight.”
Although Kevin Holland is 13 years younger than Souza and on a four-fight winning streak in 2020, Jacare still believes he can end the prospect’s hype in the same year it started. Despite the ‘Smack Man’’s fantastic run of form, Jacare only sees him as another opponent that he needs to beat.
“He’s excellent,” Souza admitted. “We must give credit to a guy who wins four in a row in the UFC. He’s hard-working, a really tough guy, I respect him a lot. To me, it’s just another fight, A tough opponent. I’ll go out there, show my work and win.”
Currently on a two-fight losing skid, Ronaldo Souza (26-8-1 NC) dropped losses to both Jan Blachowicz and Jack Hermansson in his last outings. Before that, the 41-year-old scored a knockout win over Chris Weidman, back in November 2018.
UFC 256 takes place this Saturday, December 10th, at the UFC Apex, in Las Vegas. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a flyweight title fight between the champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, and challenger Brandon Moreno.
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