'Jacare' Souza's manager believes his fighter will convince Dana White to give him a title shot

If you looked at UFC 184's lineup right now, you'd assume that the winner of Ronaldo Souza vs. Yoel Romero would likely be next against the winner of the main event between middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort. However, Dana White made it clear earlier in the week that Anderson Silva would get the next crack at the belt if he bests Nick Diaz on January 31st.

Souza has been nearly flawless in the UFC, winning all 4 of his bouts inside the Octagon and scoring finishes against Chris Camozzi, Yushin Okami, and (most recently) Gegard Mousasi. Romero stands to be his toughest test to date in the UFC, and manager Gilberto Faria believes that an impressive performance by Souza will be enough or White to have a change of plans on awarding the next title shot: (Via MMA Fighting)

"Dana is doing his job, which is to promote fights," Faria told MMAFighting.com. "Anderson Silva doing a great fight and with his history, he could go directly to a title fight. It’s up to the top fighters of the division (like) Ronaldo ‘Jacare’, Yoel Romero, Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold, who are going after their chances for the title, to, when they fight, change Dana White’s mind. That can happen at any time.

"Dana is always there, close to the fence, seeing who’s who, reacting to every fight and to the crowd. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dana White announces Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ as the next contender on Feb. 28," he continued. "He makes the call and he will always do what he thinks it’s best for the UFC. At the end of the day, it’s Dana White’s job to promote fights and generate money for Zuffa.

"Fans, media and even the fighter, with his performance during the fight, can influence Dana’s decision. I believe Jacare is, today, the fighter with most credentials to earn a title shot, and a win over a tough fighter like Yoel Romero will prove that."

Hard to disagree with anything Faria said, especially when you consider the UFC's, and particularly Dana's, historical inconsistency when it comes to title shot promises. Rory MacDonald was supposed to be next for the Hendricks/Lawler winner, but he's instead forced to take another fight to cement his #1 contender status.

Jacare vs. Romero is one of the best fights lined up on the UFC's docket over the next 2 months, and I think that the winner should be in line to fight the Weidman/Belfort winner next. Of course, this discussion could be all for naught if Nick Diaz upsets Silva and this becomes a top contender fight after all.