For Thiago Santos, his UFC Vegas 50 main event was the perfect opportunity to get back on a win streak and prove he still had what it takes to be a legit challenger for the Light Heavyweight title. Instead, he suffered another lackluster loss to Magomed Ankalaev in a bout that was best described as largely uneventful and mostly devoid of entertainment (recap here).
The judges gave the fight to Ankalaev 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47, putting the Dagestani fighter on an eight-fight win streak. But, it won’t have made him many new fans.
As for Santos, he drops to 1-3 since a split decision loss to Jon Jones in 2019. Losses to Glover Teixeira, Alexander Rakic were followed up with a cautious — but winning — display over Johnny Walker. And now this loss to Alkalaev.
Following the defeat, Santos issued the following statement on Twitter:
No words about yesterday, no excuses, another hard and painful defeat.
— Thiago Marreta (@TMarretaMMA) March 13, 2022
Still, my faith in God remains unshakable and my gratitude to him, my family, my friends, coaches and true fans only increases, thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/VGbOyuyOAC
“No words about yesterday, no excuses, another hard and painful defeat,” he wrote. “Still, my faith in God remains unshakable and my gratitude to him, my family, my friends, coaches and true fans only increases, thank you for everything.”
Santos’ early UFC years were marked by action-packed brawls that saw “Marreta” earn 11 knockout victories en route to a title shot against Jones ... a split decision defeat that some fans feel the Brazilian should have won. But, following that fight serious knee injuries slowed down Santos and he hasn’t seemed like the same monster in the cage since.
Let’s hope he figures out how to get his groove back.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 50: “Santos vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
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