Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza Faces Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 224 in Brazil
A pivotal middleweight matchup is on tap for UFC 224 as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is set to face Kelvin Gastelum on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
UFC officials reported the matchup on Thursday night.
No. 1 contender match?@JacareMMA meets @KelvinGastelum at #UFC224 in Rio!
? https://t.co/tUT6UQSO5k pic.twitter.com/ac7Y1dmuTM
— UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2018
A top five contender for almost his entire UFC career, Souza picked up a knockout win over Derek Brunson in his most recent fight in January and now he’ll look to take another step towards title contention with a win in May.
As for Gastelum, he’s coming off a stunning first round knockout against former middleweight champion Michael Bisping and hoping to get his first crack at UFC gold with a win in Brazil.
Gastelum had previously vowed to never fight in Brazil again after his 2017 win over Vitor Belfort was overturned to a no contest when he tested positive for marijuana following their fight. Obviously the opportunity to face Souza with the potential of a title shot looming for the winner was enough to entice Gastelum to return to the country.
“Jacare” vs. Gastelum is the latest addition to the growing UFC 224 card with more fights including the main event expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
