UFC middleweight veteran Ronaldo Souza says that he offered to fight Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 16 but “The Joker” turned him down.

Hermansson was set to fight Darren Till in the main event of UFC Vegas 16 on December 5, but Till unfortunately pulled out of the fight with an injury. Kevin Holland then filled in on short notice, but he was forced to pull out of the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test. Hermansson was finally booked to fight Marvin Vettori, who was originally slated to fight Souza at UFC 256 next weekend. Souza, in turn, was booked to fight Holland, who will look to make a speedy recovery from COVID-19.

For Souza, 2020 has been a tough year. He was set to fight Uriah Hall at UFC 249, the first UFC event following the re-start from the coronavirus pandemic, but Souza and his two cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. He has not fought since last November, but he will finally make his return to the Octagon against Holland next weekend at UFC 256. However, if it was up to Souza, it would have been him fighting Hermansson this weekend at UFC Vegas 16, not Vettori getting that opportunity.

Speaking to Sherdog.com, Souza confirmed that he volunteered to step in on short notice and fight Hermansson in a rematch, but he says “The Joker” turned him down. The two previously met at UFC Sunrise in April 2019, with Hermansson winning a unanimous decision. Souza wanted to get revenge, but Hermansson said no dice.

“Actually I offered myself to take revenge against Hermansson, but unfortunately he didn’t accept,” Souza said.

For Hermansson, he’s now the No. 4 ranked fighter at 185lbs and it’s understandable that he didn’t want to risk his ranking against an unranked veteran in Souza who he already beat. At the same time, Souza may have ultimately proved to be a more favorable matchup for Hermansson, who opened as the betting underdog to Vettori.

Do you think we will ever see the rematch between Ronaldo Souza and Jack Hermansson?