Ronaldo Souza frustrated over UFC middleweight title shot delay

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight standout Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza is getting tired of always being overlooked for a shot at the top prize in his division.

Although Souza is set to fight Yoel Romero for a number one contender bout on the blockbuster UFC 194 card slated for Dec. 12, 2015, in Las Vegas, in speaking to Sportv in Brazil (translated by Bloody Elbow) he said he's been down this road before.

"It seems I'm always one fight away from the title fight. It's funny, I fought Mousasi and that was supposed to be a title eliminator. Then I was going to fight Romero and he got hurt, but a month later he was fighting Lyoto, which I thought was weird. But I'll be ready, I'll do some great work and I'll impress everybody."

It's easy to see Souza has a point. With a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record of 22-3, the Brazilian hasn't been defeated since a unanimous decision loss to Luke Rockhold way back at "Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov" in 2011.

Since coming to UFC, however, "Jacare" has been on a tear, posting five victories including a submission win over notoriously gritty opponent Gegard Mousasi.

But that wasn't enough as two weeks ago UFC announced Rockhold will face undefeated champion Chris Weidman for the middleweight belt at UFC 194. It's a fight which Souza thinks is close but he will not offer a prediction.

"Both are about the same to me. Rockhold stole my Strikeforce belt, so I still have that stuck in my throat. Weidman has this whole ‘Brazilian Killer' thing, which I don't buy. Vinny Magalhaes finished him with a flying armbar and he lost to Andre Galvao at ADCC. And he will lose to me, as well."

UFC 194 is shaping up to be one of the biggest events of the last few years with the headlining bout featuring featherweight champion Jose Aldo and interim featherweight champion, Conor McGregor.