UFC 194 Results: Yoel Romero Edges Jacare Souza by Controversial Split Decision

At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, middleweights Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (22-4, 1 no-contest) and Yoel Romero (11-1) took each other to the limit in their three-round UFC 194 contest.

But on Saturday, it was the Cuban Romero who walked away with a very contentious "W" and a likely title shot.

It was a result that will surely be a talking point with MMA fans for some time.

It was a tense few seconds, but Jacare got it started with a right hand. The Brazilian was content, working his striking as he kept Romero on the outside. Near the halfway mark of the first round, Romero got Jacare off-balance with a strong right hand of his own. Out of nowhere, Romero connected with a spinning backfist, but Jacare recovered with Romero going into his guard.

The power of Romero on top was a big difference-maker on the ground. Jacare did well to defend the brutal shots reigning down while remaining dangerous with his submissions. It was an electric first round.

The second round started with errant strikes from both men. They were being tentative while seeking their openings. But a Romero fight is not a Romero fight without controversy. The Cuban held the cage on a Jacare takedown attempt that resulted in him gaining top position.

Referee Marc Goddard stood them up immediately but did not take a point.

It looked like it would all come down to the third round.

Round 3 saw some inaction at the beginning, but Jacare started to tee off on Romero at the halfway point, which resulted in a big takedown. Jacare used the remaining two minutes to work his ground game—and keep Romero on his back until the final few ticks of the clock.

While the fight was not action-packed from bell-to-bell, it did offer fans spurts of high-level excitement in each of the three frames. It provided a compelling middleweight title eliminator before the two championship main events. Perhaps, it just didn’t have the proper outcome.

What’s Next?

• Romero will almost assuredly receive a title shot.
• Jacare looked very good in this fight, and given the result, it is hard to imagine he will fall far. He should still have a top-five level opponent for his next fight, and that could very well end up being a title eliminator itself should it happen.
• Romero is moving up the ranks for being an all-time controversial fighter. This loss did not help him in that regard. The point not being taken away in Round 2 directly affected the decision. This will be a talking point for some time.
• The middleweight division is aging, but these two showed they still have what it takes to compete at an elite level. However, one must question how much longer they can go with the top two fighters being in their prime—and a few youngsters coming up. They need to capitalize on their shot sooner than later. For Romero, he’ll at least get his chance in 2016.