- Thiago Santos relished the time he almost put an end to Jon Jones’ reign as the UFC’s light heavyweight champion
- “Marreta” will be making his PFL debut next month
Throughout his nine-year run as the UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones was never defeated. However, Thiago Santos came close to doing so in July 2019 when one judge saw him beating “Bones” at UFC 239. Looking back, Santos is proud of what he has accomplished.
Thiago’s pride and joy
Jones had already defended his light heavyweight strap 12 times when he faced Santos. Despite being an outright underdog, “Marreta” still managed to get the job done and finally end Jones’ reign. The bout ended with a narrow split decision victory for “Bones” but one of the three judges gave the fight to Santos, 48-47.
What made the fight even more epic was the fact that medical reports later revealed that Santos suffered multiple injuries early in the fight but somehow, still performed and gave Jones one heck of a fight.
“I’m proud of myself about that fight. This fight was very important, because I had a big injury. I overcame. I didn’t give up in that fight. I fought until the end. It was a great fight. I’m proud of this fight, for sure, against one of the best of all time,” Santos said of the fight.
“I’m proud of every fight, every moment of my career. Everything is part of my journey. I’m very proud of myself,” he added.
A new home
Since the defeat to Jones, Santos went 1-4 in the UFC. He last fought under the UFC banner in August 2022 when he suffered a TKO loss to Jamahal Hill. The following month, “Marreta” parted with ways with the promotion and joined PFL.
Santos is set to make his PFL debut on April 1 against Rob Wilkinson.
On the other hand, Jones is looking set to take on Stipe Miocic in heavyweight title fight for greatness. Jones became the new UFC heavyweight champion after submitting Ciryl Gane in the first round of their title clash at UFC 285.
All quotes via MMA Junkie.
