Obviously it is a little difficult right now to plan a trip from Brazil to the United States. However as soon as he is able to, Thiago Santos is planning to move to Florida to start a new chapter in his life.
Even in defeat, Santos established himself as one of the top light heavyweights in the world when he fought Jon Jones. Even after suffering some pretty gruesome injuries in the bout, he continued fighting, taking it to a split decision. It is about as close as anyone has gotten to dethroning the long-time champion.
Thiago Santos Is Coming Stateside
Following this setback, Thiago Santos is looking to get back to the top of the mountain. In the efforts to do that, he is hoping to train full-time at a gym that he feels can get him there. So, as he explained in a recent interview, he and his girlfriend, fellow UFC fighter Yana Kunitskaya, plan to move to Florida as soon as they can, so they can train with the powerhouse gym American Top Team.
“I want to move to USA with Yana, and we’re gonna stay there for training, for preparing,” Santos said. “Try to live there. I like Florida. I like USA. I feel good. I feel comfortable in Florida, American Top Team. I like the weather. I like that city. I feel if I stay in Rio I have the beach, good weather, sun, so I have some experience. … I invited Yana to go to Florida, and she agreed, so we’re gonna move there.”
Santos has not fought since dropping the fight to Jones. However before that he was in a four-fight winning streak. As for Kunitskaya, she has gone 2-2 since signing with the promotion in 2018. Her debut was a loss against Cris Cyborg, but she rebounded with two straight, before dropping a fight to Aspen Ladd last December. She is now expected to face Ketlen Viera in August.
Both Thiago Santos and Yana Kunitskaya seem like they could benefit a fair amount from the strong coaches at ATT. On the other hand, there are questions as to how much better they can get at 36 and 30, respectively. It will be interesting to see how this affects both of their careers moving forward.
