Weidman: Jacare more dangerous than Rockhold

UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and compared the two leading contenders in the division, Luke Rockold and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza.

“I would expect a tough fighter, but I’m running right through any of these guys,” said Weidman as transcribed by Dave Doyle for MMAFighting.com. “[Rockhold]’s well rounded, but he’s not great anywhere. He’s not the best striker I’ve ever fought, he’s not the best jiu-jitsu guy I ever fought. Jacare brings a different element, he’s really good on the ground and he’s probably more dangerous on the feet than Rockhold. Rockhold is well-rounded and keeps a good solid pace going throughout the whole fight. They are two completely different fighters. If I was to say who was more dangerous, it would probably be Jacare, but there are probably more holes in his game than Rockhold.”

“I don’t really have a preference. Either way I’m going to have to fight these guys at some point, and let them know they have no chance with me. I love their attitudes. I’m, as a competitor, just going to show them the truth. As far as who, it doesn’t really matter. I want big fights, both of them know that. I want big fights, they want big fights.”

“I want to return as soon as possible. Fighting in May was great, so now I have June, July, I’d like to enjoy the summer a little bit with my family. Other than that, I want to keep on going. I want to separate myself from these guys. Every time you get done with a fight, there’s another guy. That excites me, to let these guys know the truth.”

The UFC has booked December 5 at Madison Square Garden, but that depends on the New York legislature doing the right thing, and their track record is not good. And UFC president Dana White has not determined whether Rockhold or Souza gets the shot, so it is not yet know who, where, and when Chris Weidman fights next.