Ronda Rousey is the type of fighter every female mixed martial artist should emulate. But Rousey has been so dominant that her success is starting to inspire male fighters as well.
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Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, who will be in the main event of UFC Fight Night 50 on Friday, said he is taking a page out of Rousey's book, specifically the chapter on judo. Souza is one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in all of MMA but he also holds a black belt in judo, which he will incorporate in his future fights.
"The top judo fighters around the world have regularly trained so hard that they set an example for MMA fighters," Souza said to Yahoo Sports. "Ronda has taken it to another degree. She shows by the way she performs in the Octagon that other fighters can use judo successfully in their strategy. She's motivated me to incorporate more judo. It gives me another weapon and she's shown that it can work at a very high level."
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Souza, the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, is on a six-fight win streak. A win over Gegard Mousasi might earn him a shot at the winner of UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort, who will fight in December.
Souza and Mousasi fought six years ago for the DREAM middleweight title, with Mousasi winning by knockout. Now that he's more than just a jiu-jitsu fighter, Souza thinks his new weapons will make for a new outcome this time around. He also said he thinks Rousey's success will eventually lead to more fighters incorporating judo into their techniques.
"People know so much about my jiu-jitsu," he said. "If I bring along my judo and get to that level where it's [helping me to win], of course, I have to do that. Ronda is making everyone take a real close look at it."
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