Ronaldo Souza’s time with the UFC has come to an end.
The perennial middleweight title contender has fought out his contract with the UFC and will not be re-signed. ESPN reported the news Thursday, citing UFC officials and Souza’s manager, Andre Pederneiras.
Souza (26-10 MMA, 9-7 UFC) most recently fought last week at UFC 262 where he suffered a broken arm in his technical submission loss to Andre Muniz. The result extended “Jacare’s” current skid to four loses in a row.
Souza underwent surgery on Monday to repair his broken arm. It’s unclear what’s next for the 41-year-old fighter.
Souza’s last win was a knockout of former champion Chris Weidman back in 2018. He finished his UFC tenure 1-5 in last six trips to the octagon.
Souza competed in the UFC from 2010 to 2021 during which time he defeated notable names such as Weidman, Derek Brunson, Vitor Belfort, and Yushin Okami.
Souza joined the UFC from Strikeforce, where he was a champion. Souza won the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title by defeating Tim Kennedy in 2010. He went on to defend it against Robbie Lawler and then drop the belt to Luke Rockhold.
Long-time title contender ‘Jacare’ Souza off UFC roster after completing contract