Sherdog’s Top 10: Middleweights of All-Time

8. Ronaldo Souza

“Jacare” has built a fine career for himself inside the cage after rising to prominence on the grappling circuit, where he was a multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and a two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist. Souza laid claim to the Strikeforce middleweight championship with a unanimous decision over Tim Kennedy in August 2010 and then retained it by submitting Robbie Lawler with a rear-naked choke five months later. While a shot at Ultimate Fighting Championship gold has thus far eluded him, the Brazilian has nevertheless enjoyed a stellar MMA career at 185 pounds, as evidenced by a 24-4 record that includes 17 submission victories. His list of victims included Gegard Mousasi, Alexander Shlemenko, Matt Lindland, Ed Herman, Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami and Derek Brunson. The 37-year-old remains on a short list of possible middleweight title contenders, though his next assignment will come against Robert Whittaker in the UFC on Fox 24 co-main event in April.

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