Proven UFC middleweight title contender Jacare Souza put his championship bid on the line earlier tonight (Sat., April 15, 2017) at UFC on FOX 24 live on FOX from inside Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, when he took on rising knockout artist Robert Whittaker. It marked Souza’s second Octagon appearance this year after submitting Tim Boetsch at UFC 208 in Brooklyn, New York.
It was all Whittaker in the early going, as the Australian shook Souza off his back and showed good defense in a scramble along the cage. Once he had Souza in the middle of the Octagon, Whittaker was able to land quick punches and one perfectly-timed uppercut that temporarily shook the Brazilian. In Round 2, Whittaker emptied the tank on Souza. He crumbled him with a huge right hand, wobbled him with another nasty uppercut, and battered him further with a slick head kick. After another head kick sent Souza back into the cage, Whittaker poured it on with combinations and ground-and-pound en route to pulling off the upset and second-round TKO victory (full recap here).
The full fight video highlights can be seen below courtesy of UFC.
LATER GATOR! @RJWhittaker1990 is making his move in the middleweight division. HUGE finish. pic.twitter.com/FkVNgz0Zd3
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) April 16, 2017
With this win, Whittaker essentially takes Souza’s spot in the middleweight pecking order. He is now 6-0 at 185 pounds and has back-to-back knockout finishes of Jacare Souza and Derek Brunson. One more victory and you can make the case that the Australian boxer deserves a crack at the title.
For complete UFC on FOX 24 results and coverage click here.
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