“It is a huge responsibility to fight in front of the Brazilian fans. At the same time, it is good because I’m not going to be fighting alone, I’ll be fighting with the entire crowd behind me, and they are going to make things more difficult for Okami. Going into this fight I feel better, stronger and that my game has improved. I’m feeling way better than I did going into my last fight and way more prepared. I’m ready to go out there and show how much my game as evolved and how much of a better fighter I am than the last time people saw me.”

“I believe a victory in this match will get me closer to the title, but we’ll see where it goes. I know that once I pass him, I’m definitely going to be closer.”

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, believes that a victory tonight in Brazil could translate into a title shot.

Of course, Anderson Silva could derail those dreams should he be victorious in his rematch over Chris Weidman, as the two Brazilian fighters have sworn an oath to never face each other.

Okami has long been one of the middleweight divisions elite competitors, but in this interview with Bleacher Report, ‘Jacare’ explained that he believes the Brazilian crowd will give him the fire to push through and obtain the ‘W’.

Who ya got Penn Nation?