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'Jacare' Souza opts for surgery, recovery timetable not immediately clear

Following a disappointing TKO loss to Robert Whittaker earlier this month, UFC middleweight contender Ronaldo Souza opted for surgery and will be on the shelf for the next few months.

Souza’s team today announced the Brazilian submission ace elected to go under the knife to repair a “total rupture of the pectoral muscle tendon” following an MRI earlier this week. The two-and-a-half-hour procedure took place today in Rio de Janeiro.

“I opted for the surgery to cure this injury once and for all,” Souza said in is native Portuguese. “I feel relieved. I’m recovering well, and now I’ll take one step at a time until I’m back to training and to the octagon. I’ll be back soon, stronger and hungrier for fights, for wins.”

A timetable for Souza’s return wasn’t immediately established, though New York-based Dr. Howard J. Luks, the Chief of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy at Westchester Medical Center, indicates it can take between six months and a year to return to full strength.

Still, Souza’s surgeon said the surgery was necessary.

“‘Jacare’ reported pain during his last fight, not to mention significant loss in strength to his upper limb,” Dr. Rickson Moraes stated. “This kind of injury, a total rupture of the pectoral muscle tendon, usually results in loss of 75 percent of strength. This makes it harder to perform movements of the fight, such as pushing your opponent away, among others. The degree of loss in strength is very relevant when it comes to high-performance athletes, especially when we’re talking about athletes with ‘Jacare’s’ muscle power and physical prowess.

“Everything wet well with the emergency procedure. We reinserted the tendon in the bone and reinforced the area with a graft. ‘Jacare’ will stay under observation, with his arm immobilized. We expect him to be allowed to do physical therapy soon.”

Souza (24-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is currently ranked No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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