Yana Kunitskaya believes boyfriend Thiago Santos beat Jon Jones, hopes for immediate rematch

Yana Kunitskaya believes her boyfriend, Thiago Santos, should be the UFC’s light heavyweight champion right now.

Back in July at UFC 239, Santos took on Jon Jones. Many thought it would be an easy fight for the champion “Bones.” Yet, that is far from what happened, as Jones barely edged out a split-decision. Some, including Kunitskaya, thought Santos did enough to win.

That being said, she tries not to wonder what might have happened if his knee hadn’t buckled mid way through the fight.

“I don’t like to think like what if this happened or that. What happened, happened and now he is focused on his recovery and getting another title shot again,” Kunitskaya said to BJPENN.com. “I believe everything happens for a reason. Who knows what happens if his knee was injured. I believe he won this fight even with the injury. I’m very proud of him.”

Since the fight, Santos has been recovering at the Performance Institute, and Kunitskaya has been his rock. He made a post on social media crediting the seventh-ranked bantamweight for helping him in his recovery.

Kunitskaya says she’s doing everything she can to help him.

“Yeah, especially mentally. He used to fight a lot now he has big breaks, so the hardest part is mental,” she explained. “He is better, his recovery is good, he is holding pads for me in training. It is much easier now.”

Yana Kunitskaya is preparing for her own fight against Aspen Ladd. Thiago Santos has been right by her side throughout this camp. She says he has been helping her in training and with her weight cut.

After her fight, all the attention will back to Santos and getting him healthy for another title shot.

Do you agree with Yana Kunitskaya that Thiago Santos beat Jon Jones and deserves a rematch when he is healthy?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/6/2019.