Jacare still wants Romero fight; targeting a return in April

Despite having to pull out of his bout with Yoel Romero at UFC 184 because of pneumonia, middleweight title contender Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza is still hoping for a scrap with the former Olympian.

"Let's hope they reschedule this fight with Yoel Romero. It's a great fight for both athletes," Jacare's manager Gilberto Faria told MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruz. "A win would absolutely put the winner in a title fight. Jacare is really focused on Yoel. … Following medical advice and doing a full training camp, Jacare will be a monster on fight night."

The 35-year-old grappling ace has carved out a path of destruction since joining the UFC's 185-pound division in 2013, racking up four straight wins, including spectacular finishes of Chris Camozzi, Yushin Okami and Gegard Mousasi.

There's no set timetable for Jacare's return at this point, but a fight with Romero in April is not outside the realm of possibility. 

"I believe the best scenario is the end of April," Faria said. "When Jacare is active, he needs eight weeks of training camp and when he is not active, he needs 11 weeks, but it depends on his health."