UFC: Ronaldo Jacaré debuts in Brazil against Constantinos Philippou

Jacaré (photo) will make his UFC debut on Brazilian soil. Photo: Esther Lin

The UFC's return to Brazil marks the debut of a tough Brazilian athlete in the Octagon. The black belt Ronaldo Jacare will have his first fight in Ultimate against the Cypriot Constantine Philippou. The event is scheduled to take place on May 18th, with no officially defined location yet, despite the rumor that Jaraguá do Sul, in Santa Catarina, will host the show.

Jacaré, who has an MMA record of 17 wins and three losses, is on a good run of positive results. Since losing the Strikeforce middleweight belt in September 2011, the Brazilian has won the three fights he has competed in, the last being against Ed Herman, in January of this year.

In turn, Philippou, who has a professional record of 12 wins and two losses, also has a good series of triumphs. The Cypriot scored his fifth consecutive victory when he knocked out Tim Boetsch at UFC 155 in December.

The fight between Jacaré and Philippou is the second duel of the event, which will have as its main attraction the fight between the Brazilian Vitor belfort and the North American Luke Rockhold.