LAS VEGAS – Thiago Santos will be going to the UFC on ESPN 40 main event expecting a striking battle. But will Jamahal Hill oblige?
That’s the big question Santos (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) has going into Saturday’s light heavyweight headliner with Hill (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
On paper, Santos vs. Hill looks like a lock to end in a brutal knockout. They’ve both displayed tremendous power and finishing ability in previous fights, but Santos said he’s been in this type of situation before and it hasn’t panned out as the pre-fight hype would indicate, though he doesn’t think that’s his fault.
“He’s a tough opponent,” Santos told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 40 media day. “Aggressive. He has some KOs, but I have the most KOs in this division in the UFC. So let’s see what’s going to happen. Let’s punch each other. Let’s kick each other. Let’s see who is going to stay standing.
We both are KO guys, but some fights before the guys are aggressive, but I don’t know what happen. When they fight against me they come different. They try to take me down, they try to fight a strategic fight. So I cannot say about himself. I can say about myself. I promise I go forward. I go to knock him out and this fight is going to be different than my last fight (with Magomed Ankalaev).”
Santos, No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, has had some tough times in recent years.
After pushing then-champ Jon Jones to the brink of a split decision at UFC 239 in July 2019, the Brazilian has never been able to capture his momentum back. He suffered serious injuries to both knees in that fight the required surgery, and kept him out of action for 16 months.
Santos has lost three of four since then, dropping bouts to Glover Teixeira, Aleksandar Rakic and Ankalaev. His lone win was a decision over Johnny Walker that was heavily criticized for its lack of action.
At 38, there are valid questions about whether Santos can find a way to capture the magic he had inside the octagon a few years ago. He thinks he can, and said all the
(This was) the best camp ever since my fight before Jones,” Santos said. “So I feel 100 percent ready for this fight. … I think probably this fight going to finish early.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
