Jacare: Hermansson Turned Down UFC Vegas 16 Rematch

When Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced that Kevin Holland was infected with COVID-19 and sent to the sidelines, longtime middleweight contender Ronaldo Souza was the first guy on the phone hoping to fill in for the ailing “Trailblazer.”

“I offered myself to take revenge against (Jack) Hermansson, but unfortunately he didn’t accept,” Souza told Sherdog.com.

Hermansson scored a five-round unanimous decision win over “Jacare” in the UFC Ft. Lauderdale headliner back in early 2019, a bout “The Joker” scored on short notice when the Brazilian’s original opponent, Yoel Romero, was felled by pneumonia.

Souza will instead face Holland at the UFC 256 pay-per-view (PPV) event while his former opponent, Marvin Vettori, gets the call against Hermansson this weekend as part of the UFC Vegas 16 fight card in “Sin City.”

“I did all my camp based on a southpaw about my height, [but] now I’ll face a much taller, orthodox fighter. But it is what it is,” Souza said. “I just want to fight and get back in the win column. I have a lot of respect for Holland, who is a real tough kid, but I’m going to beat this guy.”

For the rest of the UFC 256 fight card and lineup click here.