Chris Weidman expected as next potential opponent for Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza's manager Gilberto Faria believes former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will serve as the Brazilian's next opponent.

Jacare has not fought since his April loss to Robert Whittaker as the Australian overtook him in the rankings en route to becoming interim middleweight champion in June.

The former Stikeforce champion (24-5-1 record in MMA) was said to be taking time off to recover after undergoing surgery for a pectoral rupture and is expected to return to training in October.

With his absence leading to him dropping in the middleweight rankings to number four, Jacare's manager revealed that Weidman could be the 37-year-old's next potential opponent.

"I believe that Weidman might be the next fight, in late-December or early-January, if that's a good date for the UFC to book this fight," Faria told MMA Fighting.

"When we get closer to that date, we'll see more clearly what the options are for Jacare's next opponent."

Weidman (14-3 record in MMA) would be the ideal opponent as "The All American" is not only currently ranked at number five in the rankings but is one of the few fighters who is yet to face Souza professionally.

The 33-year-old recently ended a three-match losing run with his submission win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Long Island in July and has made no secret of his desire to win back the middleweight title that he lost back in December 2015.

If the bout were to happen, the winner would likely have to win at least one more time before getting a shot at the title.

Current champion Michael Bisping set to face Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 in November while interim champion Whittaker is expected to face the winner upon his return from injury.