RIO DE JANEIRO – Ronaldo Souza has already said he’d have no problem retiring without a UFC belt if it came to that. But he also won’t discount the weight the strap still carries.

“The belt is very important,” Souza said ahead of the FOX-televised UFC on FOX 24, which takes place Saturday at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. “We work to be the best, and the belt is very important. I’ve been Strikeforce champ. I’ve been a jiu-jitsu world champion countless times. And my dream is to be UFC champ. I have this dream. But if it doesn’t happen, I’m OK with it.

“When I said I could retire, it’s because if it gets too much, I won’t keep doing something that’s bad for me. I can retire, I can teach jiu-jitsu classes. I travel. I went to Europe and I taught through Europe. I can do that. I can open my own gym. How many students? Three hundred. I’ll have my students.”

At 37, however, Souza (23-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is clear that retirement is still an abstract concept. To illustrate his point, the fighter, who’s No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, revealed that his most recent tests indicated perfectly leveled hormones and that he’s as healthy as a “26-year-old boy” – which, coincidentally or not, happens to be the age of his upcoming opponent, Robert Whittaker (17-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC).

“I’m at my prime,” Souza said with a smile.

Asked why he thinks the shot has eluded him, he wouldn’t single out a reason. There was, of course, the UFC 194 loss to Yoel Romero – which, while controversial, put a wrench on things. There was, he said, the choice of Dan Henderson as a challenger to Michael Bisping’s belt at a key time. But, at the end of the day, there isn’t that much more he thinks he could have done to accelerate his stab at the belt – either in or outside of the octagon.

Asked whether he thought maybe not including English in his skill set may have been a problem, for instance, Souza was incisive.

“I can communicate in English with my fans,” Souza said. “But the fans pay to see me fight in the octagon; they don’t pay to watch me speak English. Who attends a UFC event to watch a guy from another country speaking English? They go to watch fights. I can communicate with them in English. I can order food in English.

“I can communicate enough. I can speak, understand what they want, and do the necessary. I think that’s enough. And this talk of speaking English to fight for the belt, that bull(expletive) – that doesn’t exist. People pay to watch fights.”

However, given the chance, “Jacare” said he would tweak one aspect of his former self.

“I think it didn’t happen because it wasn’t meant to happen,” Souza said. “But in a few occasions, I didn’t speak the truth. I didn’t say what had to be said. If I had to do anything differently, I’d express my feelings more and tell the truth more. That’s it.

“(I’d) say, ‘That guy’s a wuss.’ If I had to say it, I’d say it. I used to be quiet, so I’d change that. I think in Brazil we have that respect thing. We’re very respectful and stuff, and a lot of times it has nothing to do with it. Speaking the truth doesn’t mean you’re disrespecting anyone. You’re just telling the truth and what you’re feeling. We got confused in that aspect.”

The “used to” is key here, considering that Souza has certainly sharpened up his tongue in recent years. Among the most common targets, which include the likes of middleweight contenders Luke Rockhold and Romero, current 185-pound titleholder Bisping seems to get some seriously some seriously special attention.

One of his critiques is the fact Bisping, now set to face former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre later this year, brought the division to a halt by opting out of fighting who Souza sees as the legitimate contenders.

And while he’s no longer obsessed with getting to the throne, “Jacare” said that’s an attitude he wouldn’t have should he make it.

“I think a real champion fights the real contender,” Souza said. “That’s the truth. I always fight for the fans, and I’ll want to get the toughest guy around and then the next in line when I’m the champion.”

A thought that the Brazilian grappling ace extends to the in-vogue concept of money fights.

“Making money is great, but it’s no use making money and losing your dignity,” Souza said. “It’s unlike me, and it doesn’t make sense. (But) to each their own. And who calls the shots in the UFC are the bosses, not the fighters. If money fights are happening, it’s because the UFC is allowing them, so there’s nothing I can do.”

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