Ronaldo Souza - A Fierce MMA Beast & 4th Degree BJJ Black Belt

Ronaldo Souza is a legendary Brazilian 4th-degree BJJ black belt submission fighter and a professional MMA competitor. In Jiu-Jitsu, Souza has won many times, including the gold medals. His top achievements as a BJJ are the ADCC Submission Fighting World Champion, CBJJO World Cup Champion, Brazilian National Champion, and European Open Champion. He joined MMA in 2003 and is regarded as among the most successful wrestlers, competing in Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Jungle Fight, and DREAM.

Ronaldo Souza was born in Vila Velha, Brazil, on the 7th of December 1979. He belongs to a cafuza family and was brought up in Cariacica till he was 15. Souza admired soccer and played as a goalkeeper in his early days. Souza has always led a tough life during his teens. When he was 15 years old, on his birthday, he saw his best friend get shot in front of him. This incident dampened his spirits; his mother moved him to Manaus to live with his brother. At 17, after moving to Manaus, Souza started Jiu-Jitsu and Judo training because of his older brother, as his brother got injured and could not be trained. At the academy, Souza met Henrique Machado. Machado saw his talent and decided to teach him Jiu-Jitsu. At that time, Souza weighed 50kg and was uninterested in this sport. Machado took the young boy to his place, where he used to teach him daily in his wing, and provided him with the food necessary to prepare him physically and mentally for the tournament.

Souza's BJJ trainer, Henrique, offered him a challenge, which he accepted and initially played randomly. However, after losing, he decided to try again, and ever since, he became obsessed with the sport. Under the guidance of his master, Herique Machado, he got promoted from colored to black belt. Souza became a fantastic athlete for the ASLE academy, founded by Henrique Machado. Later on, the ASLE team merged with the BRASA. BRASA team offers the fighters an international experience. On a national level, at lower ranks, Souza won multiple titles and gained popularity. He won a gold medal in the 2003 IBJJF World Championship while wearing a brown belt. He received his black belt under his coach in the same year. 2004 was incredible for Souza in BJJ as he competed against the best BJJ grapplers in the world. Souza won the IBJJF World Championships in both weight and absolute divisions. After that, he was awarded various titles in both national and international grappling tournaments. He only lost to Roger Gracie, who was 11kgs heavier than Souza.

Ronaldo Souza married his long-term girlfriend Larissa Carvalho and has three boys. Souza is a caring and loving husband and a great father. He teaches his sons Jiu-Jitsu to make them future BJJ’s top fighters. He said:

During his lower belts in BJJ, Souza got first place in the IBJJF World and CBJJ Brazilian National Championships and earned fame. Later, when he got his black belt in 2003, his status as a spectacular fighter built up. From 2003 to 2005, Souza secured titles in the medium-heavy and absolute weight classes. He won gold in the ADCC World, IBJJF Pan American, IBJJF World, CBJJO World, and IBJJF European Open Championships. He is considered the greatest BJJ fighter of his time, along with Roger Gracie and Marcelo Garcia.

In the 2004 World Champion Open, Souza won the fight by taking his last bout against his opponent Roger Gracie, even with an injured arm while performing his armlock technique mid-match. His arm muscles became elastic and ruptured, and his elbow got dislocated. Despite that, he continued to fight by putting his arm in his belt and proving that he was indeed a warrior. Once again, Souza suffered a broken arm injury in 2021 during his MMA fight with Andre Muniz at UFC 262. Souza’s arm got trapped due to Muniz’s arm bar position, causing an arm fracture. Thankfully, his surgery was successful, but he was not allowed to lift weights. He shared an Instagram story related to his injury. He said:

Ronaldo Souza began his MMA journey in 2003 with his first fight at the Jungle Fight Event, where he lost to Jorge Patino by knockout but learned from the trial. After training, he returned to Jungle Fight 2 and won the match by submission, defeating Victor Babkir.

His next fight was with Alexander Shlemenko in 2006 at Jungle Fight 6. He defeated Alexander by arm triangle choke. The same year, he was invited to train at UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture; he accepted their offer and started training.

Since then, Souza has won against top wrestlers like Yushin Okami, Vitor Belfort, Ed Herman, Bristol Marunde, Tim Kennedy, and Derek Brunson in Dream Middleweight Grand Prix, Strikeforce, and UFC tournaments, showcasing his best positions. In the DREAM Middleweight Championship finale, he was defeated by Gegard Mousasi. In 2013, Souza made his UFC debut, fighting against Chris Camozzi and winning with his excellent grappling skills. He was honored with the “Submission of the Night” title on April 20, 2015, and secured the 2nd position in the UFC middleweight rankings.

In 2016, the “Performance of the Night” title was presented to him in UFC 198 after he won a fight against Vitor Belfort, defeating his opponent in the first round by TKO. But after his arm injury in 2021, he announced that he would retire from MMA and return to BJJ.

Ronaldo Souza holds the professional record of 47 wins with 6 losses in BJJ. Most of his submission wins were achieved through one of his favorite techniques, the armbar. He is indeed one of the best grapplers produced under Master Henrique Machado.

Ronaldo Souza has committed to training in martial arts. In 2022, Souza started his own Jiu-Jitsu training center in Orlando, Florida. Recently, he posted his students' achievements on Instagram. He said:

On 3rd April 2023, Souza debuted in boxing against his fellow MMA partner Vitor Belfort. Ronaldo Souza and Vitor Belfort held an electrifying wrestling match at the Gamebred Boxing 4. The match lasted up to six rounds, each for 3 minutes. Souza’s opponent won the match by a unanimous decision.

In 2018 at UFC 230, Ronaldo Souza had a magnificent fight against his opponent, Chris Weidman. The match consists of five rounds, each of 3 minutes. Both the fighters fought aggressively, but Jacare won the matches by punches.

In the 2018 UFC on FOX 27, Jacare brutally attacked his opponent Derek Brunson with head kicks and punches. The match continued for five rounds of 5 minutes. Souza won the fight with his remarkable performance.

An outstanding match occurred in 2020 at the UFC 256 between Jacare Souza and the trailblazer Kevin Holland. At the beginning of the fight, Jacare uses a guillotine to bring down his opponent, but then Kevin manages to stand up and wins the fight by punching him. The match consisted of five rounds, but the fight ended within 1 minute 45 seconds of the first round.

Jacare Souza Top 5 Finishes

Ronaldo Jacare Souza UFC MMA Jiu Jitsu UFC fight Highlight 2015

Jacare Souza Highlight: His Best Jiu-Jitsu Moments

Top 5 Submissions Ronaldo Jacare Souza | ADCC 2005

UFC FIGHTER RONALDO JACARE SOUZA BJJ Jiu Jitsu Match 2002 (Manaus) Brown Belt SUPERFIGHT!!!

Photo credit: @RonaldoJacareSouza