Despite the fact that Thiago Santos has the toughest fight thus far in his pro-MMA career booked, he’s looking to become a two-division champion.
He’ll be the next fighter to challenge Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title. Jones will make his next title defense against this title contender at the upcoming UFC 239 pay-per-view event that is set to take place on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Santos earned this title opportunity after he beat Jan Błachowicz by TKO in the headliner of the UFC on ESPN+ 3 event in his last fight.
While doing an interview with MMA Junkie, Santos made it known that he still has some interest in making the move down to middleweight to capture the title.
Thiago Santos Looks to Become Two-Division Champ
For the majority of his pro-MMA career, he fought as a middleweight where he racked up a record of 18-6. He would move up to light heavyweight for his three latest outings that started against Eryk Anders in September 2018.
“Jon Jones is … Jon Jones. He’s a phenomenal fighter. Without a doubt, he’s one of the best in the world. He’s managed to beat great fighters with a certain ease. But no one is unbeatable. Everyone has their moment. Now is my moment.
“This is the best phase in my career. I know it’s going to be a difficult fight. It’s going to be hard, but I have faith in the fact that I have what it takes to beat Jon Jones. My goal is to win the light heavyweight belt and defend it. But I’m still open to dropping back down to middleweight to capture that belt.”
