To watch Santos flatten Bosse check out full fight video highlights right here.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweights Thiago Santos and Steve Bosse went to war last night (June 27, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 70 inside Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Santos has been hot and cold in UFC, but he remained entertaining in victory or defeat. Against the Canadian bruiser, Santos was looking for a signature victory that could push him from prospect to contender.
Meanwhile, Bosse's UFC career has been surrounded by some bizarre circumstances, including a sudden retirement and taking a fight on less than a week's notice. Regardless, his opportunity to debut finally came through last night.
Instead, Santos put on another display of his disgustingly powerful kicking ability.
Immediately, both men took the center of the Octagon, and Santos opened with a couple inside low kicks. He then went to the body, but Bosse was able to block some of it or at least absorb it.
However, the body kick was definitely on the Canadian's mind. Moments after Santos attacked with the body kick, he went high, and his entire shin connected across the side of Bosse's head.
It was a picture perfect head kick knockout in less than one minute.
Not to be blatantly obvious, but Thiago Santos kicks hard as hell. He finished his two bouts prior to this with body kick, which is a pretty rare accomplishment on its own. Now, he played off that well, as Bosse's guard was definitely in position to block a liver shot.
Instead, he was put out cold.
Santos has now finished two straight opponents in devastating fashion, so he should face off with one of middleweight's many gatekeepers. For example, a fight with Rafael Natal -- who will probably be fighting 185-pound athletes in the middle of the division for the rest of eternity -- would help establish where Santos' ceiling lies.
This was quite an unfortunate debut for Bosse. He appeared to be in good shape, so the drop to middleweight appears to be a wise one. However, he was knocked out before ever really committing to a punch, so there's not a lot to analyze here.
For his next match up, the UFC really has two options. The first and most likely would be to throw Bosse a lower tier middleweight and simply see if he's at a high enough level to compete. The alternative -- which would be risky for Bosse but highly entertaining -- would be to remake his bout with Fabio Maldonado.
I know I just said that middleweight suits Bosse, but Maldonado is basically a middleweight as well, so he wouldn't be giving up any size. Plus, it would almost certainly equal a "Fight of the Night" bonus for both men.
Last night, Thiago Santos put his opponent down hard with an early high kick. How high can the Muay Thai specialist climb?
For complete UFC Fight Night 70: "Machida vs Romero" results and play-by-play click HERE!