Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza defeated Bristol Marunde in the third round of their main card bout at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday night. The former Strikeforce middleweight champion dominated the contest from beginning to end, submitting his opponent at 2:43 of the final round.
Souza won the opening round after landing an overhand right that dropped his opponent. He controlled Marunde on the ground, having his back for a majority of the opening frame.
Round two had Jacare landing more strikes on the feet, wobbling Marunde in the process. A spinning back-kick highlighted Souza’s striking as it backed his opponent against the cage. A takedown late in the round solidified the 10-9 score for Souza in the second five-minute period.
Souza got the early takedown and continued controlling Marunde in the third round. He worked up to the arm triangle, forcing his opponent to submit.
“(I) deserve another chance for the belt,” Souza said following the win. “(I) want it… bad.”
With the win, Souza improves his record to 15-3, 1 N.C., and gets back on the winning track after losing the middleweight title to Luke Rockhold. Marunde drops his record to 15-6, losing his Strikeforce debut.
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