'Jacare' Souza clarifies why he sees UFC 230 battle with Chris Weidman as a rematch

Ronaldo Souza and Chris Weidman will meet out of the blue inside the Octagon at UFC 230, however "Jacare" faces the middleweight challenge as a rematch.

Souza has seen Weidman crush numerous Brazilians in the eight-sided confine in the course of recent years, including his long-term companion and previous colleague Anderson Silva, and that adds an individual layer to the battle.

"I have enormous regard for Chris Weidman, I like him as a man and as a competitor, yet I consider it to be a rematch, I feel like he had officially vanquished me previously," Souza disclosed to MMA Fighting. "He has vanquished many (Brazilians), and I'm going there like in the event that he had crushed me also — and I never lose twice to a similar individual, so I'm extremely certain."

Weidman went 6-0 against Brazilians in blended combative techniques, five of them in the UFC — Anderson Silva (twice), Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida and Demian Maia. For Souza, a win at Madison Square Garden can at long last mean a shot at the 185-pound title.

"It's something normal for me," Souza said. "Whoever wins will be up there. That's true and I don't have to speak excessively about it. I need to go up (in the positioning). I need to get in there, win — and win convincingly — and afterward say 'sibling, I'll take a seat and just call me in case you will discuss the belt.'

"Every other person is harmed, there's nobody else to battle. My emphasis is on this battle (with Weidman), obviously, yet everyone realizes that this battle will take me up there."

Falling off a nearby split-choice misfortune to Kelvin Gastelum in May, a battle that drove his adversary towards a title session with Robert Whittaker, "Jacare" needs to leave no uncertainty he's triumphant at UFC 230.

"My battle with Kelvin Gastleum was close, I could have gotten the win," Souza said. "My non-verbal communication was strange in the third round and could have made a difference for the judges, I comprehend that, however I landed more strikes. I beat (Yoel) Romero. Each time my battle is close, I lose. I need to go there and win, and win no doubt. I can't only sort of win."

With Whittaker and Gastelum anticipated that would battle in mid 2019, the jiu-jitsu pro stands by his great record in rematches as a factor in front of a conceivable second experience with both of them for the UFC title one year from now.

"I never lost twice to a similar individual. Since my jiu-jitsu days, I never lost twice," Souza said. "I will carry out my activity and follow what I need. That is it."