Jacare Souza had to make some adjustments once he agreed to take on Chris Weidman instead of David Branch.
This Saturday night (Nov. 3), UFC 230 will take place inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. In the co-main event Souza will take on Weidman. The “All-American” was initially set to face Luke Rockhold, but Rockhold pulled out due to multiple injuries. As a result, Souza was yanked from his bout with Branch in favor of fighting Weidman.
Jacare Souza Shifts Gears
Souza spoke to reporters after a workout session inside MSG. He explained how he had to switch things up with the opponent change (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I had to do some adjustments to my game. He’s a great jiu-jitsu guy, good wrestler guy, so I had to learn that part – takedown defense and jiu-jitsu. He’s got excellent jiu-jitsu. He’s a monster in the ground game. It’s a challenge to fight a guy like Chris Weidman, a champion, in his hometown. It’s an honor, and I’m just going to go in there and put on an exciting fight. It’s a great opportunity because he’s at the top of the division.”
Souza is hoping to rebound from a split decision loss to Kelvin Gastelum earlier this year. Many consider Souza vs. Weidman to be a title eliminator. While a win doesn’t guarantee either man a title shot, few expect Israel Adesanya to be shot up to a title opportunity if he beats Derek Brunson this weekend. That leaves the winner of Souza vs. Weidman as the more likely choice.
Do you think Jacare Souza can get past Chris Weidman?
