5 traditional grapplers who became dangerous strikers in the UFC

#4 Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza

Jacare Souza recently knocked out Derek Brunson with a head kick

An all-time great grappler with a list of credentials as long as any other in the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza was already massively vaunted for his ground skill when he made his MMA debut in 2003. Jacare made the error of trading punches rather than takedowns with opponent Jorge Patino, however, and found himself knocked out in the first round.

From there he went on a tear, winning 14 of 15 fights, but the majority of them were still won with that slick grappling. World-class fighters like Robbie Lawler and Matt Lindland fell to the Brazilian, but he still looked somewhat awkward on his feet. By 2012 however, that slowly began to change.

Jacare knocked out up-and-comer Derek Brunson in StrikeForce in less than a minute, and just over a year later, he was in the UFC, using the same knockout power to derail former top contender Yushin Okami. It was a steep improvement in striking that had clearly been a long time coming.

Since then Jacare has gone on to knock out the likes of Vitor Belfort and Brunson in a rematch, and even outstrike the dangerous Yoel Romero for great portions of their 2015 clash. His grappling remains his greatest strength, but Jacare now has the striking ability to stand with anyone in the Middleweight division – and be a huge danger to them there.