10 great fighters who never got a UFC title shot

#10 Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza

Could Jacare Souza still get a UFC title shot in the future?

It is true that a title shot for ‘Jacare’ Souza could still come in time – he’s currently ranked as the #2 Middleweight in the world in the UFC’s official rankings, and he’s coming off a big knockout win over Derek Brunson. But somehow you just get the feeling that at 38 years old, his time has probably passed, which is hugely sad for a variety of reasons.

Jacare debuted in the UFC in 2013 with a win over Chris Camozzi, and then vaulted himself into title contention over the next two years by defeating Yushin Okami, Francis Carmont, Gegard Mousasi and Camozzi in a rematch. The wins put him on an eight-fight win streak, but with Luke Rockhold ahead in the queue to fight champ Chris Weidman, Jacare was instead matched with fellow contender Yoel Romero.

The fight went down at UFC 194, and Romero squeaked out a razor-close decision. But when he tested positive for PEDs, the UFC probably should’ve given his title shot to Jacare. Instead, they signed a rematch between Rockhold and Weidman, and when Weidman withdrew with an injury, Michael Bisping stepped in and upset Rockhold for the title.

Jacare could easily have been granted a shot at Bisping but due to the controversial nature of his title reign, it never came about and in 2017, when it finally seemed like a shot was within reach, the Brazilian lost to Robert Whittaker who went on to claim the interim title later in the year. Jacare’s win over Brunson puts him back into range for a possible shot, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that he’ll go down as one of the best fighters to never gain an opportunity to capture UFC gold.