Ronaldo Souza Says He Was Pressured Into Fighting Jack Hermansson
Ronaldo Souza and Jack Hermansson are competing in a middleweight division clash at UFC Fight Night Fort Lauderdale, which will also serve as the main event of the show.
The fighter, who was originally supposed to face Yoel Romero at the event, claims that he was pressured into accepting the fight against Hermansson.
“It was tough because everyone put a lot of pressure on me,” Souza said to MMA Junkie. “That’s what upset me a lot. … Everyone was, ‘Take the fight, take the fight.’ And the UFC people calling. And I said, ‘I don’t want this fight. I don’t want it. I won’t take this fight.’ And then Dana White, ‘Take this fight, it will be good because of this and that.’ And in my head, ‘Don’t take it, don’t take it, don’t take it.’ At the end of the day, we reached an agreement that is good for me.”
Romero was forced to withdrawal from the event due to illness, but he previously defeated Souza by split decision at UFC 194.
One huge reason that Souza accepted the short notice bout was that the UFC allegedly promised Souza a title shot, which is something he constantly reminds the UFC brass about.
“Don’t forget about this, Dana White, UFC, or Mick Maynard, Hunter” Souza said. “You promised me a title shot. Don’t forget about this.”
UFC Fight Night Fort Lauderdale takes place on Saturday, April 27 from the BB&T Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with Ronaldo Souza and Jack Hermansson headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
