Ronaldo Souza Returns to Middleweight, Meets Uriah Hall at UFC 249

After a one-bout stint at 205 pounds, Ronaldo Souza will return to middleweight to face Uriah Hall at UFC 249.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. UFC 249 will take place on April 18 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and is headlined by a lightweight championship tilt between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

“Jacare” made his light heavyweight debut at UFC Fight Night 164, where he dropped a lackluster split decision to Jan Blachowicz on Nov. 16. The former Strikeforce middleweight king has never challenged for a title in the UFC but has hovered around the top of the division for much of his promotional tenure. The 40-year-old Brazilian has struggled of late, however, losing four of his last six Octagon appearances.

After scuffling through a three-bout skid from November 2015 to November 2016, Hall has won three of his last four UFC outings. “The Ultimate Fighter 17” finalist is coming off a split-decision triumph over Antonio Carlos Jr. at UFC Fight Night 158 on Sept. 14.