Tag Archives: Ronaldo Souza

Anderson Silva to Fight Uriah Hall in October UFC Fight Night

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Anderson Silva is returning to the Octagon…

The 45-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, one of the greatest legends of the sport, has booked his next fight.

Anderson Silva

Silva has agreed to meet Uriah Hall in the main event of UFC Fight Night on October 31, according to UFC president Dana White.

The event will take place at a location to be determined. Silva’s longtime manager, Jorge Guimaraes, also confirmed the bout to ESPN.

During a news conference on Tuesday, White hinted it might be the final fight of Silva’s storied career. Guimares told ESPN a decision on his final fight has not yet been made, and the team is taking it fight by fight. Silva, a former middleweight champion, has two fights left on his UFC contract.

“We like the fight, and we’ll see how he does,” Guimaraes told ESPN. “The man is 45 years old, but he’s always in good shape, always training. I was at his house the other day, and he was training well. He’s lost a lot of weight, and he’s been eating healthy.”

Silva (34-10) was booked to fight Hall in May 2014, but he was forced to withdraw due to unexpected surgery to remove his gallbladder. Remarkably, Silva ended up fighting former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 on just two days’ notice two months after surgery.

The matchup has not been booked since, but the UFC has chosen now to revisit it. Silva has not fought since he suffered a TKO loss to Jared Cannonier at UFC 237 in May 2019. Silva suffered a knee injury in the bout, and it has kept him sidelined since. He underwent a stem cell procedure on the knee as recently as May.

Hall (15-9) has not yet fought in 2020. He has had terrible luck this year, as scheduled bouts against former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero have fallen through. The Souza bout was canceled after the Brazilian fighter tested positive for COVID-19, and Romero pulled out of a fight against Hall this weekend due to injury.

Silva is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. He held the UFC’s 185-pound middleweight title from 2006 to 2013.

Souza Defeats Gegard Mousasi in His Quest to Face UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman

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Ronaldo Souza is making the case to battle UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman…

The 34-year old Brazilian Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) dominated Gegard Mousasi in a non-title bout on Friday night to stake his claim to No. 1 contender status.

Ronaldo Souza

Souza (21-3) submitted Mousasi at 4:30 of the third round via a guillotine choke. The middleweight bout headlined a UFC Fight Night event at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut.

A jiu-jitsu black belt, Souza took Mousasi down repeatedly during the 185-pound contest and more than held his own on the feet. He wore Mousasi down from top position in each of the three rounds, eventually leading to the finish.

Immediately after the victory, Souza pointed out he finished Mousasi inside three rounds, while it took Lyoto Machida, who fought Weidman for the title in July, a full five-round fight to dispose of Mousasi via unanimous decision in February.

“If anyone doubted [I’m ready for the title], they are completely wrong,” Souza said. “Lyoto fought this guy for five rounds. I finished him.”

Seeking the 15th submission win of his career, Souza came close to producing a tap late in the round, but Mousasi held on to see the third.

A tired-looking Mousasi managed to land a few straight punches and a left hook to start the third, but he surrendered a takedown 90 seconds in. A right hand caused a welt to form under Mousasi’s right eye and he fell into the guillotine moments later.

For Souza, the win avenges a first-round knockout loss to Mousasi in September 2008. That fight, which took place in Saitama, Japan, ended when Mousasi knocked him out cold with an upkick from his back.

It also improves Souza’s UFC record to 4-0, with three finishes. Weidman (12-0) is scheduled to defend his title for a second time against Vitor Belfort at UFC 181 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.

Despite the impressive victory, Souza is at least one fight away from a title shot, according to comments made during the postfight news conference by UFC president Dana White.