Ronaldo Souza doesn't think it was that good of a idea to take on rising prospect Robert Whittaker two months after he defeated Tim Boetsch by submission. As the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt shared with Combate, Jacare feels he should've taken a longer break, but ultimately has nobody to blame but himself for the loss that drove him away from a title shot.

"Truth is, I screwed myself. My opponent had a better gameplan and he managed to implement it, so he won. Honestly, I thought I was going to score a nice win, I was very confident, but it didn't work, unfortunately. I think he had a better day than me. I even managed to take him down. When the first round ended, I told my coaches I felt he was tired and I would kick ass.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't get him again and he started to land strikes until he won. Now, I have to train and come back better. The fight is over, there’s no use dwelling on the past. I have to focus on the future and close the gaps in my game. I should have waited a little longer, but it's gone now. Unfortunately, the short break wasn't so good for me."

Ronaldo Souza was defeated by TKO in April. The loss to Whittaker snapped a two-fight winning streak with victories over Boetsch and Vitor Belfort.