Jacaré shows confidence in victory, but remains cautious about Blachowicz's strength: 'I'm not underestimating'

R. Jacaré (photo) is ready to make his light heavyweight debut. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook ufcbrasil

One of the main stars of UFC Sao Paulo, which takes place this Saturday (16), Ronaldo Jacare is ready to begin his career as a light heavyweight (up to 93kg) in Ultimate. The Brazilian will face the dangerous Jan Balchowicz and hopes for a good result against a dangerous opponent. For the fight, Ronaldo stated that he intends to use the ground and adopts caution when dealing with his rival's physical strength. The statement was made in an interview with 'Ag Fightgt'.

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“It’s clear that he has greater knockout power than me, and I respect that. I'm not belittling one bit. But I also have my weapons, and if I manage to use them, it will look bad for him”, said the Brazilian.

Despite the visible improvement in the quality of his stand-up game, Jacaré is a jiu-jitsu specialist. Against a stronger opponent, the 'soft art' can be a solution, as was the case in the early days of Ultimate.

“It (jiu-jitsu) is certainly a weapon I have and I will try to use it to the fullest. He is a very tough opponent. Rockhold talked a lot before the fight and he got it right. I'm going in quietly and I'm going to emerge victorious. We use the best weapons we have, and one of them is speed, I believe it will make the difference in this fight”, declared Ronaldo.

The Brazilian, who is two times absolute world champion in jiu-jitsu, improved his stand-up fighting and made use of them in his latest clashes. The last time the athlete won a fight by submission was in 2017, when he defeated Tim Boetsch with a Kimura in a fight valid at UFC 208. Fans of the fighter, then, can live up to the expectation of seeing the Espírito Santo using the 'gentle art' in your presentation.

“For this fight, I want to bring a lot of jiu-jitsu. I had a good camp (training period). I'm super calm, in good spirits, without struggling to lose weight, and this is making me very confident”, concluded the fighter.

In the coming years, Ronaldo will venture into dangerous territory, reigned by Jon Jones. A victory could put the Brazilian on the radar for a possible title fight in the future. This Saturday's clash could also put an end to a complicated phase in the career of the Espírito Santo, who suffered three defeats in their last five appearances.