Thiago Santos News
Johnny Walker was "scared as hell" against Thiago Santos at UFC Vegas 38, says coach
Adam D Martin - October 7, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker was “scared as hell” against Thiago Santos at UFC Vegas 38, says his opponent’s coach. In what was expected to be a slugfest between two Brazilian KO artists, the fight was anything but. Both Walker and Santos were content to stand on the outside and essentially spar for five rounds, with Santos earning a unanimous decision victory at the end of the 25 minutes. It was not the fight that the fans expected and many of them took to social media to vent their complaints following the fight. But while many have put the blame on Santos for making it a tactical fight, his coach believes that it is actually Walker’s fault that it was.
What's next for Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker after UFC Vegas 38?
Cole Shelton - October 4, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 38, top-10 light heavyweights collided as Thiago Santos was looking to return to the win column opposite Johnny Walker. Santos entered the fight coming off a lackluster decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 259. Prior to that, he was submitted by Glover Teixeira and before that, lost a split decision to Jon Jones for the belt. Walker, meanwhile, hadn’t fought in a year but was coming off a TKO win over Ryan Spann to get back into the win column.
Jiri Prochazka responds to callout from UFC Vegas 38 winner Thiago Santos
Harry Kettle - October 4, 2021
Jiri Prochazka has responded to Thiago Santos suggesting that the two should meet in their next fight. Santos managed to get himself back in the win column last weekend as he managed to grind out a unanimous decision win over Johnny Walker. It may not have been the prettiest win he’s ever had, but a win is all that matters given the direction he was heading in.
Thiago Santos issues statement following UFC Vegas 38 win over Johnny Walker
Adam Martin - October 3, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos issued a statement following his UFC Vegas 38 unanimous decision win over Johnny Walker. Santos and Walker surprisingly went the full five rounds in the headliner of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 38 card. It was not a great fight as neither fighter engaged all that much during their 25 minutes in the cage and it was a very close fight for the judges to score. In the end, it was Santos getting his hand raised by unanimous decision, snapping his three-fight losing skid in the process. Taking to his social media following the big win, Santos reacted to his victory over Walker by issuing a statement regarding this much-needed UFC win.
Thiago Santos expresses interest in fighting Jiri Prochazka next: "He thinks his chin is stone. That's because he hasn't fought the hammer."
Chris Taylor - October 2, 2021
Thiago Santos is interested in fighting Jiri Prochazka next following his win over Johnny Walker in tonight’s UFC Vegas 38 event headliner. Santos (22-9 MMA) had entered tonight’s contest in hopes of snapping a three-fight losing skid. The former light heavyweight title challenger had suffered a unanimous decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic in his most previous effort at UFC 259.
UFC Vegas 38 Results: Thiago Santos defeats Johnny Walker (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - October 2, 2021
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 38 event is headlined by a light heavyweight bout featuring Thiago Santos taking on Johnny Walker. Santos (21-9 MMA) will enter tonight’s contest in hopes of snapping a three-fight losing skid. The former light heavyweight title challenger suffered a unanimous decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic in his most recent effort at UFC 259.
UFC Vegas 38: 'Santos vs. Walker' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - October 2, 2021
The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 38 event, a twelve-bout fight card headlined by light heavyweights Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker. Santos (21-9 MMA) will enter tonight’s contest in hopes of snapping a three-fight losing skid. The former light heavyweight title challenger suffered a unanimous decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic in his most recent effort at UFC 259.
UFC Vegas 38 weigh-in results: Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker on point, but three fighters miss weight
Adam D Martin - October 1, 2021
The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 38 took place on Friday in Las Vegas, and 23 of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete have made weight. In the main event of the evening, Thiago Santos fights Johnny Walker in a battle of top-10 ranked light heavyweight contenders. Santos has lost his last three fights in a row but everyone recognizes him as one of the best fighters in the world at 205lbs. As for Walker, he is coming off of a knockout win over Ryan Spann in his last fight. Both fighters successfully made weight for Saturday, with Santos at 206lbs and Walker at 204.5lbs.
Yana Kunitskaya announces pregnancy a month after Irene Aldana loss
Drake Riggs - August 16, 2021
Yana Kunitskaya is going to be taking some time away from the octagon. The No. 6 ranked UFC bantamweight contender teased her pregnancy on Sunday. On April 1, Kunitskaya and her partner, UFC light heavyweight Thiago Santos, announced a fake pregnancy for April Fool’s Day. MMA Fighting has confirmed that this time the announcement is legitimate.
Thiago Santos reacts after fiancée Yana Kunitskaya gets knocked out at UFC 264
Adam Martin - July 11, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos reacted after his fiancée Yana Kunitskaya got knocked out by Irene Aldana at UFC 264. Santos and Kunitskaya have been dating for several years and have been engaged since last Christmas. They both train together at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, and both are top-10 ranked fighters in the UFC. On Saturday night at UFC 264, Santos was in Kunitskaya’s corner as he always is when she suffered a tough first-round knockout loss to Aldana. Although Kunitskaya closed as the slight favorite to win the fight, she got caught with a giant left hook in the first round and then got stopped with ground and pound. It was a tough loss for “Foxy” and it must not have been easy for Santos to watch it go down.
Thiago Santos looks to snap losing skid against fellow Brazilian Johnny Walker in September
Cole Shelton - May 12, 2021
A battle of Brazilians has been added to an upcoming Fight Night card as Thiago Santos will battle Johnny Walker. According to a report from Combate, Santos and Walker have agreed to fight one another on September 25 at a location TBD.
Thiago Santos blasts Aleksandar Rakic for suggesting he was an "easy win" at UFC 259
Christopher Taylor - April 4, 2021
Thiago Santos was not happy to learn that his most recent opponent Aleksandar Rakic had referred to him as being an “easy win”. The former light heavyweight title challenger, Santos (21-9 MMA), squared off with Rakic (14-2 MMA) in the opening bout of the UFC 259 main card last month in Las Vegas.
Pros react after Aleksandar Rakić defeats Thiago Santos at UFC 259
Christopher Taylor - March 6, 2021
A key light heavyweight bout featuring former title challenger Thiago Santos taking on Aleksandar Rakić kicked off tonight’s UFC 259 pay-per-view. Santos (21-9 MMA) was looking to snap a two-fight losing skid this evening in Las Vegas. ‘Marreta’ had most previously competed this past November, where he suffered a submission loss to surging division contender Glover Teixeira.
Thiago Santos admits he struggled with "anxiety mixed with doubt, fear" before Glover Teixeira loss
Tom Taylor - March 3, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos says he was not in a good head space ahead of his recent loss to Glover Teixeira. Santos met Teixeira in November. After sustaining some significant damage in rounds one and two, he was submitted by his fellow Brazilian in round three.
Thiago Santos promises to be "100 times better" in return to Octagon at UFC 259
Adam Martin - February 22, 2021
UFC light heavyweight Thiago Santos promised to be “100 times better” in his return to the Octagon at UFC 259 against Aleksandar Rakic. The last time we saw Santos, he lost in an upset to Glover Teixeira when he was submitted in the third round of that fight. Santos had success early and even dropped Teixeira in the fight, but eventually, the ring rust showed as Santos wore down and was tapped out. After losing a razor-thin split decision to Jon Jones at UFC 239 in July 2019, Santos missed over a year of action due to having double knee surgery and also catching COVID-19. So you can see why it’s somewhat excusable that he wasn’t as sharp when he fought Teixeira.
Thiago Santos congratulates fiancée Yana Kunitskaya on upset win at UFC Vegas 19
Adam Martin - February 21, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos congratulated his fiancée Yana Kunitskaya on her upset win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 19. Santos was in the corner of Kunitskaya as she defeated Vieira via unanimous decision in a fight that had somewhat controversial scorecards. Though it appeared that Vieira had done enough to control Kunitskaya on the mat from top position with her grappling that she would win the decision, the judges had other ideas. Instead, the three judges unanimously agreed that Kunitskaya had done enough to win the fight. Although Vieira had the takedowns and the control time on top, Kunitskaya was working the entire fight from the bottom, and she appeared to steal the fight in the final minute when she cut Vieira open.
Aleksandar Rakic hopes for light heavyweight title shot with win over Thiago Santos
Adam Martin - January 4, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic is hoping to earn himself a title shot with a victory over veteran Thiago Santos at UFC 259. Rakic takes on Santos on the undercard of UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya on March 23. Rakic, the No. 4 light heavyweight in the UFC, is 5-1 overall in the UFC and he’s coming off of a decision win over Anthony Smith in his last fight. The Austria native is closing in on the elite of the UFC light heavyweight division and a win over Santos, a former title challenger, would be massive.
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Thiago Santos UFC 259 opening betting odds released
Adam Martin - December 22, 2020
The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming light heavyweight bout between Aleksandar Rakic and Thiago Santos at UFC 259. In a battle between two of the top-five light heavyweights in the UFC, Rakic meets Santos in a three-round fight on the undercard of UFC 259 on March 6 in Las Vegas. We do not yet have an official main event for this card, but whispers are that Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngnannou may headline the event. The promotion also recently added UFC women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson as the co-main event.