Chael Sonnen says ‘Jacare’ Souza should be removed from UFC rankings for turning down UFC 199 title fight

The UFC was forced to scramble when a neck injury took Chris Weidman out of his rematch against middleweight champion Luke Rockhold a little over two weeks before UFC 199.

Promotion officials ultimately settled on Michael Bisping as a replacement to fight Rockhold, though the British veteran wasn’t the UFC’s first choice. That honor went to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, a top-ranked middleweight contender who turned down the opportunity after learning that a meniscus injury sustained during his UFC 198 win over Vitor Belfort was worse than initially believed.

However title shots can be an elusive commodity in the UFC — this is Bisping’s first chance at gold after a decade spent in the promotion — and retired UFC contender Chael Sonnen isn’t sure if Souza made the right decision by passing his chance at the belt to the next man in line.

“I don’t like it,” Sonnen said Monday on The MMA Hour. “Man, I don’t like it. Everybody says they want these opportunities.

“[Souza] is great. I would never make believe that he’s not. But the bottom line is, the word is ‘yes.’ If you want an opportunity in America, when one comes, you need to know one word and that is ‘yes.’ The difference between Michael Bisping and everybody else is one word: ‘yes.’ When the opportunity came, that’s what he said. ‘Jacare’ is hurt? Look, fine, I’m sure he is hurt after that long, drawn-out war he just had with Vitor. You think Michael Bisping isn’t hurt? Of course he’s hurt. Whether he advertising it or not, he goes in and fights men everyday. There’s no way to not be hurt. Who gives a damn if you’re hurt, man? You’re either a tough guy or you aren’t.”

Souza was the UFC’s assumed No. 1 middleweight contender after dispatching Belfort inside a round …

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