Michael Bisping thinks Thiago Santos can beat Jon Jones, but won’t

Michael Bisping gives Thiago Santos a shot at beating Jon Jones, but he won’t bet the house on it.

Tonight (July 6), Santos will challenge Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship in the UFC 239 headliner. Jones is entering the second title defense of his current reign. Meanwhile, this will be “Marreta’s” first UFC title opportunity. He brings with him a four-fight winning streak, earning finishes in three of those bouts over Jan Blachowicz, Jimi Manuwa, and Eryk Anders.

Bisping discussed the matchup on an edition of his “Believe You Me” podcast. The newly minted UFC Hall of Famer said that Thiago Santos has a chance to win but whether or not he’ll pull it off is a different story:

“Thiago Santos can win in the clinch. If they clinch, that’s his best bet. Because if he can connect, he can rock Jon Jones I’m telling ya. And I always [count] out Thiago Santos. And I think he can do it. I think he can do it. Do I think he will? No I don’t. Jon Jones wins the belt. Does he have a shot in this fight? Yes he does, 100 percent. The guy’s on a four-fight win streak, three knockouts, he’s a human being. Is he a massive underdog? Yes. Is that a deserved underdog? Yes. Can he do it? Yes. Will he do it? I don’t think so, not a chance in hell.”

Jon Jones hasn’t suffered a defeat since Dec. 2009. That was courtesy of a controversy disqualification loss to Matt Hamill where “Bones” landed illegal 12-6 elbows. UFC president Dana White even said he’s working to get the loss overturned.