HOUSTON – Andre Muniz knew there was only one way to stop “Jacare” with jiu-jitsu – and that was to put him away.
Muniz (21-4 MMA, 3-0 UFC) expected to go to great lengths to beat veteran Ronaldo Souza in the grappling department, and he broke Souza’s arm with an armbar in the first round of their clash at UFC 262 on Saturday night.
The 31-year-old expected just that, as Souza is one of the most respected grapplers in MMA, known for fighting submissions until the very end.
“Sine I know him very well, I knew that it had to go like this,” Muniz told reporters at the UFC 262 post-fight press conference. “If I had a choke or a submission, he was going to go unconscious or I would have to break his arm.
“I forced the armbar, and I didn’t think his arm was going to break, but it happened. I wish him the best, and I hope he comes back fast. Best wishes to him in his recovery.”
Souza lost via technical submission, as he didn’t tap out and forced the referee to wave the fight off once his arm broke. This is the first time Souza’s lost via submission in his almost 20-year MMA career.
“I’m very happy. It’s unbelievable,” Muniz said. “I worked really hard to prepare for him. I had to train a lot of jiu-jitsu, and I had to to study his game. And like I told you guys before in interviews, I would test myself, and that’s what I did. I’m very happy because this finish celebrates my jiu-jitsu career.”
The win over Souza puts Muniz in a favorable spot at 185 pounds. The Brazilian would like to return to the cage in fall and match up with another veteran of the fight game.
“I would like to fight September or October,” Muniz said. “I heard that Nick Diaz is coming back and if UFC allows me to fight him, maybe at 185 pounds, I would love to fight him.”
Andre Muniz on ‘Jacare’ Souza’s broken arm at UFC 262: ‘I knew that it had to go like this’