Over the last few weeks, former two division World Series of Fighting champion David Branch has been chasing a fight with former Strikeforce middleweight champ Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Branch’s first callout of Jacare was short and sweet, and simply stated that he’d signed a contract to fight the Brazilian.
https://twitter.com/DavidcBranchMMA/status/1004886659018747904
“Yo JACARE I’m ready and I’ve signed, what you waiting for,” Branch said.
Unfortunately, Branch then claimed Jacare turned down this fight.
I just want to be clear to everyone I’ve been offered to fight JACARE main event August 22nd in Brazil and he’s not feeling confident enough to take the fight. @arielhelwani @DamonMartin @bokamotoESPN @sherdogdotcom @NewYorkRic @lthomasnews
— David Branch (@DavidcBranchMMA) June 12, 2018
Officially we were being told by the ufc the man who calls himself the alligator has been neutered @JacareMMA has declined to fight in his Homeland.
— David Branch (@DavidcBranchMMA) June 19, 2018
“I just want to be clear to everyone I’ve been offered to fight JACARE, main event August 22nd in Brazil, and he’s not feeling confident enough to take the fight,” Branch said in the first of two Tweets on the matter.
“Officially we were being told by the UFC the man who calls himself the alligator has been neutered,” Branch added in a second Tweet. “Jacare has declined to fight in his Homeland.”
After being turned down, Branch issued a second, epic callout of the former Strikeforce champ.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOjuBGAXrS/
“Jacare,” a gi-clad Branch began in his video call-out. “What’s going on man? What’s up with this fight? Let’s make this thing happen. Let’s get this done and over with. We were supposed to fight two times before, it was short notice, now we’ve got all the time in the world. Right now I’m number seven, you’re number five. You lost your last fight, you’re 0-4 in the top-5, and I won my last fight, stopping a guy on a four-fight knockout streak. Dana White just said something about fighters trying to choose fights that are good for them and bad for them. This ain’t the place for you. You have to make sure that you fight, you know? We’ve got to get this thing going.”
“I want the alligator,” Branch continued, as his teammates executed Jacare’s trademark alligator chomp in unison behind him. “Where’s the alligator? Let’s make this thing happen!”
Jacare has now answered these repeated callouts, assuring that, contrary to Branch’s comments, he’s already accepted the fight several times.
For the third time I will accept to fight @davidcbranchmma I can fight you as soon as end of October, let’s see if you will not change your mind again @mickmaynard2 @danawhite @arielhelwani @espn @canalcombate
— Ronaldo Jacaré (@JacareMMA) July 3, 2018
“For the third time I will accept to fight [David Branch],” Jacare said in a Tuesday evening Tweet. “I can fight you as soon as end of October, let’s see if you will not change your mind again.”
Who do you believe in this back and forth between the two middleweight contenders?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 7/4/2018.