After several years with the promotion, Thiago Santos finally gets his shot at main eventing a UFC card.
Santos has been with the UFC since 2013. He recently had a four-fight win streak broken by David Branch. The Brazilian bounced back with a win over Kevin Holland at UFC 227. After competing at middleweight his entire career, he will jump up to light heavyweight at UFC Sao Paulo.
He’ll be competing against one of the division’s best, Jimi Manuwa. Santos tells MMA Junkie he’s actually surprised Manuwa even accepted the fight. He’d have understood if the Englishman refused, since he’s unranked at 205 pounds:
“I thought he wasn’t going to accept it, considering I’m not in the division,” Santos said.
“He’s a top-five (fighter), so it’s tricky to take on a guy who’s not even in the division. Not everyone would have taken it. I’d have understood it, for sure (if he turned it down).”
Santos says that the cut down to 185 pounds has been strenuous on him lately. He wants to test the waters at 205 pounds and see how it feels:
“I’d already talked to the UFC about doing a fight at light heavyweight to see how I would feel,” Santos said. “Because though I always make weight, I suffer a lot to make 185 pounds. So I wanted to do a fight at 205 to see how I’d feel.
“I’ve never fought there, so I have to weigh the pros and cons. Maybe I’ll be stronger, but I might also be slower. There are many variables. Maybe the guy will be much stronger than I am. We don’t know. So I wanted this fight already. This opportunity came – we’ll do it.
“But there’s nothing definitive on whether I will continue or if I’ll return to middleweight. Whether I win or I lose, that’s not what will determine whether I stay or not at light heavyweight.
“What will determine that is how I’ll feel, making 205 in one day and fighting the next. I’ve never done that. I’ve never fought anyone heavier than me, so we’ll see how I will feel.”
Discussion: Do you think Manuwa should’ve accepted the fight with the unranked Santos at light heavyweight? Sound off in the comments below!
