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PFL light heavyweight Thiago Santos reflected on his 2019 loss against Jon Jones.
At UFC 239, Santos dared to be great by attempting to dethrone Jones, who was the UFC light heavyweight champion. Although ‘Marreta’ put forth a valiant effort, he came up short, losing by a split decision. During a recent interview with Tudor Leonte, the former UFC title challenger was asked if he ever thinks about his fight against ‘Bones.’ He responded by saying:
“It was in my past. It was a great fight, was a great performance against one of the best of the world, but that’s it. I thought sometimes when people ask and people talk about it, but now I keep moving forward. I look forward for my next opponent, my next fight, so that’s what I’m thinking now.”
Leonte followed up by asking Santos if he has any regrets about the fight. ‘Marreta’ had this to say:
“No, no. No regrets. I did everything I could do. I had an injury, serious knee injury, but anyway, I did my best. I couldn’t do anything else.”
After losing against Jones, Santos was arguably never the same fighter. He suffered various injuries to his left knee at UFC 239, including a torn MCL, ACL, PCL, and meniscus. He has since lost four of his last five UFC fights, with the lone win against Johnny Walker in October 2021. ‘Marreta’ last fought in August 2022, losing against Jamahal Hill before parting ways with the promotion.
Watch PFL fighter Thiago Santos discuss his fight against Jon Jones below:
What’s next for PFL star Thiago Santos?
Thiago Santos decided to sign with the Professional Fighters League after leaving the UFC. The 39-year-old joined the PFL light heavyweight division, hoping to win the $1 million at the end of the season. Before focusing on the championship, Santos has to rack up enough points to make the playoffs.
Santos will quickly be tested in his promotional debut. The former UFC title challenger has been matched up against Rob Wilkinson, who won the 205-pound division title last year. The intriguing light heavyweight bout takes place on April 1 in the co-main event of PFL’s first event of the season.
