“Jacare” Souza (photo via UFC / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

“Jacare” Souza is widely regarded to be one of the best grapplers in MMA. But, the veteran fighter believes he underutilized his vaunted jiu-jitsu game in recent years.

Souza is booked to face Jan Blachowicz tonight at UFC Sao Paulo, in a fight that will be Souza’s first at 205 in the Octagon. The 39-year-old Brazilian star has made the move up from middleweight, following a decision loss to Jack Hermansson in April. That defeat was Souza’s third in his last five fights.

In a recent promotion video the UFC released for tonight’s match-up, Souza (26-7) had this to say about his preparation for the bout (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“I’m happy because everything has changed in my life,” Souza said. “This fight against Jan is very important for me. The UFC gave me the opportunity to fight in a light heavyweight main event – a tough fight in my hometown.”

“Sometimes, I use too (much) striking,” Souza said. “Sometimes, I win. Sometimes, I lose. But right now, I’m back to my roots. I use a lot of jiu-jitsu. I train a lot of jiu-jitsu. I believe everything is going to be different right now.”

Blachowicz (24-8), meanwhile, is coming off an impressive, knockout win over Luke Rockhold in July.