Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza: Know Your Enemy

(SPONSORED CONTENT) -- In this exclusive interview presented by “Halo Wars 2,” Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza discusses fight preparation, his forthcoming battle with Tim Boetsch and his wait for a crack at Ultimate Fighting Championship gold.

The former Strikeforce champion will try to nail down an elusive title shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 208 on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. “Jacare” has rattled off nine wins across his past 10 appearances, a split decision defeat to Yoel Romero his only setback. The 37-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt last competed at UFC 198 on May 14, when he stopped Vitor Belfort with first-round punches.

In this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Souza discusses fight preparation, his forthcoming battle with Boetsch and his wait for a crack at UFC gold:

Sherdog.com: How do you prepare for a fight?
Souza: The first thing I do is I make sure that I am happy. If I’m happy, mentally I am there, both in practice and in the fight; and I always train very hard with everything I do: striking, conditioning and, of course, my jiu-jitsu. I always try to do something different, to learn something to add to my game. Anytime you see me walk into the cage happy and smiling, you’ll know that I am 100 percent ready to go.

Sherdog.com: How do you get to know your enemy before a fight?
Souza: First, I train myself for the fight. I prepare myself for this fight with all of my team. What I mean is that I don’t train for my opponent; I train for me. I sharpen and strengthen my tools and weapons that I have to bring into each fight. Once I feel that I am ready, then I look at the videos of my opponent with my team and learn if I need to make any adjustments. If I am focused and prepared both mentally and physically, I don’t really need to study my opponent, but I always do take a look to see if there’s something I need to know about him.

Sherdog.com: What is your training like?
Souza: Like always, I train at X-Gym in Rio de Janeiro. I train in my muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, wrestling and MMA, but I train my muay Thai with Pedro Rizzo at a different location. I train with the best people in the world, and I prepare to make myself the best possible fighter I can be. I never cheat myself or cheat in training. What I put in the gym will be brought out in my fights. So far so good because I have had an awesome, very intense training camp, and I will be 100 percent ready for this fight.

Sherdog.com: Do you study your opponent’s style to prepare counterattacks in advance?
Souza: I’m pretty much in attack mode when I fight. I’m always looking for the attack, to impose my will onto my opponent first. I’m the one pushing the combat, moving forward and making the fight, but there are times when I’ll need to counter. In this case, I’ll have to be aggressive and push forward because Boetsch is a very tough fighter who has a great, strong chin. He’s hard to knock out, so I’ll have to be attacking right away, looking for the finish. I want to keep it intense because I know how dangerous Tim is. That is not going to change my focus, which is to force the fight and always look for the finish.

Sherdog.com: What do you take away from each fight that helps you prepare for the next?
Souza: Every time I have a tough fight, I learn a lot, and every time I have a tough, new camp, I learn a lot. So it’s the combination of tough fights and new, tough camps that helps me learn a lot and allows me to learn and use new tools. It makes me better for my next fight, and you’re always going to see a better me in the next fight.

Sherdog.com: What makes Boetsch so dangerous?
Souza: His power and his right hand make him a very scary guy. His right hand can finish a fight at any moment, so I can’t blink or make a mistake.

Sherdog.com: Will a win over Boetsch finally get you a title fight in the UFC?
Souza: What I can tell you is that I’ve done my part and I’ve beaten some tough top guys like Gegard Mousasi and Vitor Belfort. I keep doing what I need to do to make sure I get where I want, but who gets a title shot is up to the UFC and all I can keep on doing is doing my job the right way. If you look back, every fighter who has come from another [promotion] who does well has gotten a title shot. I have come from another show and have gotten some great wins. My title shot will come.