Earlier this week, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White told the mixed martial arts (MMA) media that former middleweight champion Anderson Silva would be next in line for a 185-pound title shot, should he be able to turn away Nick Diaz at UFC 183 later this month in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Not so fast.
Gilberto Faria, manager for ex-Strikeforce middleweight kingpin Ronaldo Souza, expects "Jacare" to have a thing or two to say about those plans when he fights Yoel Romero at the UFC 184 pay-per-view (PPV) event next month in Los Angeles, Calif., the same event that has Chris Weidman defending the strap against Vitor Belfort.
From his conversation with MMA Fighting:
"I wouldn't be surprised if Dana White announces Ronaldo ‘Jacare' as the next contender on Feb. 28. He makes the call and he will always do what he thinks is best for the UFC. At the end of the day, it's Dana White's job to promote fights and generate money for Zuffa. Fans, media and even the fighter, with his performance during the fight, can influence Dana's decision. I believe Jacare is, today, the fighter with most credentials to earn a title shot, and a win over a tough fighter like Yoel Romero will prove that."
You can argue that Souza has already proved it.
That's because the Brazilian has seven straight wins over increasingly tougher competition, and has the type of ground game -- good enough to claim gold at Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) -- to give anyone the fits. But he may need a violent finish against "The Soldier of God" to leapfrog "The Spider."
Anyone think he gets it done?