L. Santos says he is ready for the UFC Las Vegas 22. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Owner of one of the greatest unbeaten records in the lightweight category (up to 70,3kg.), Leo Santos is back. This Saturday (20), the Brazilian will go up to the Octagon to measure his strength against Grant dawson No. UFC Las Vegas 22. In an exclusive interview with SUPER FIGHTS, the winner of the 'The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 2' states that he is ready for another victory and highlights his maturity in the stand-up game in search of his ninth consecutive victory.
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In Ultimate since 2013, Leo Santos has not yet lost in the organization. The Brazilian has seven wins and one draw and is considered, by many, as one of the best fighters in the ground game. Your opponent, Grant dawson, was discovered in the 'Contender Series' and has a good base in jiu-jitsu, where he finished 11 of his 16 career victories. Still, Léo reveals that he is ready for all scenarios in the duel and took the opportunity to send a message to the fans.
“I believe that, as he is also on the ground, it could be a submission for both me and him. I hope it's for me. It is difficult for a person to change their origins a lot, but it is not impossible. So, I always prepare for every situation and it depends on how the fight goes, whether he wants to stay standing or try to fight on the ground (…), I can't guarantee victory for the Brazilians, but you can be sure that I prepared a lot and dedicated myself a lot. I’m ready for war and whatever God wants,” he said. Leo Santos.
Even though he has finished nine of 18 victories in his career, the Brazilian has shown good progress on his feet and knocked out two of his last four Ultimate fights. To explain his growth, the fighter highlights that he managed to stand out after 'trials and errors' until he gained confidence.
“(Evolution is the result of) a lot of training. Giving time, learning, making mistakes and getting things right. Everything in life we must wait and gain confidence to start flowing. I’m a guy who dedicates a lot of time to the stand-up side too and the knockouts started to come out”, highlighted the fighter.
Undefeated, but…
In a sequence of 13 fights without losing in his career, Léo highlights the high technical level of the lightweight category. Still, he confesses to some discomfort at not being in the division's ranking and prefers not to 'project' an entry, even if he wins on Saturday (20).
“It’s difficult to know (the criteria). I'm tired of asking whoever makes the rankings. The lightweight category is one of the most difficult in the UFC. You have a guy who is the TUF Brazil champion and hasn't lost a single one (in the organization), but he's not among the 15 in the division. It’s difficult to understand, but I’ll move on and keep working,” he said.
Good expectations!
After being away from the Octagon between 2016 and 2019 and dealing with physical problems, the 'Nova União' fighter has had two fights since his return and still wants to increase his frequency. According to him, there is a plan and objective to return to work more often this year.
“Yes, I definitely want to perform more this year. With the pandemic, Ultimate has few fighters ready to fight. At the first event in Abu Dhabi (UFC 251), I was locked in lockdown and they called me. I went, I fought (against Roman Bogatov) and now they called me again. I think this pandemic, in one way or another, is helping me to have opportunities,” she revealed.
Recent controversies
Two of the biggest controversies in recent cards occurred in the fights between Petr yan e aljamain sterling, which ended with an illegal knee from the Russian – who was disqualified – and in the fight in which Leon edwards ended up putting a finger in the eye Belal Muhammad |, transforming the result into 'I didn't answer'. Coincidentally, Léo ended up suffering from both problems in his last duel, against Bogatov, and, despite having won the duel with a unanimous decision by the judges, he considers the need for 'change' in the way referees observe athletes.
“There’s no way of knowing whether it was on purpose or in the heat of the moment. These are things that happen very quickly. There is no time to think about whether the fighter is in a three support position. There is no countdown at the time of the fight. Even more so if you're in a tight fight. What I think should be in the rule: if you take a knee like that, the referee can give a 'no contest' or disqualify the athlete. But what happened to me can't happen, where the referee asks if you're okay to come back. I could have been knocked out in the last fight, because I went back on instinct. I was no longer in the fight. I didn't know how I could defend myself. But when the referee asked me, I replied that I could come back, but I wasn't well”, he said.
At 41, Leo Santos He has a record of 18 positive results, three negative results and one fight without result in his career.
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