UFC 198 highlights: Thiago Santos finishes Nate Marquardt via first-round knockout

The time is now for Thiago Santos to make his move in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight division.

Earlier tonight (Sat., May 14, 2016) at UFC 198 from the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil, the 32-year-old Brazilian absolutely obliterated mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Nate Marquardt with a vicious first-round knockout. It took Santos just over three minutes to earn the stoppage and it marks his fourth-straight victory at 185 pounds.

The memorable finish can be seen below:

Vicious knockout win for Thiago Santos! What a devastating display of Muay Thai striking! #UFC198 https://t.co/jyjSKxHJcJ

— FS1 (@FS1) May 15, 2016

Santos has now earned a much needed feather in his cap to finally make a push towards the top 15. As a long fighter capable of striking with any Middleweight on the roster, he possesses some serious potential moving forward.

In the case of Marquardt, this loss may finally spark the retirement conversation. He hasn't looked the same during his second stint in the UFC and has lost much of his chin along the way.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 198 fight card on fight night (click here), starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.