SUNRISE, Fla. – Ronaldo Souza was confident in his training and in his gameplan going into Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 8 headliner opposite Jack Hermansson.

That, however, still wasn’t enough to keep Souza (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) from dropping a clear unanimous decision to Hermansson (20-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC). And a no-excuses “Jacare” couldn’t hide his disappointment with that fact as he spoke to reporters backstage.

“I’m sad, because I did a great training camp for this fight,” Souza said, in English, after the event at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale. “I don’t feel tired. But I can’t put my game on in the octagon. I’m bad right now.”

As unhappy as he was about the way the match-up came together, Souza was always clear in his respect for Hermansson. Speaking to MMA Junkie earlier in the week, Souza praised Hermansson as a tough opponent who presented a dangerous ground game and a particular submission that proved very difficult to escape.

Being aware of Hermansson’s signature arm-in guillotine choke, however, didn’t stop the grappling ace from struggling with it in the first round. As a longtime jiu-jitsu competitor, Souza has been in situations like that and managed to stay patient and escape, but later admitted that the choke was tight and that “I was asleep a little bit.”

Despite his visible frustration, Souza made sure to congratulate his opponent on a “great job.” Hermansson is now on a four-fight winning streak, after making the quick turnaround from a first-round submission of David Branch at last month’s UFC on ESPN 2.

Souza, in turn, suffered a particularly bitter loss after a key win over ex-champion Chris Weidman. Initially set to rematch former title challenger Yoel Romero on Saturday, “Jacare” had said that the reason why he agreed to Hermansson as a short-notice opponent was the promise of a middleweight title shot that has long eluded him.

Souza’s plan going into the ESPN+-streamed bout was simple: Get the win, go on vacation with his family, and then wait until the UFC booked him in a title fight. Obviously, the plan is going to need some adjustments, but at least Souza can look forward to some of it.

“I don’t have plan right now,” Souza said. “I come back to my home. Take a vacation with my family. Tomorrow, I’m going out with my kids. I don’t know. I need back with my family and that’s it.”

To hear from Souza, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 8, check out the UFC Events section of the site.