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Thiago Santos is one of the most respected light heavyweight fighters in the business. His nickname, 'Marreta,' meaning sledgehammer in Portuguese, describes the No. 5-ranked light heavyweight perfectly.
It is widely believed that his fighting style prompted him to pick a nickname to that effect. Although Santos has a number of tattoos on his body, his tattoo of a hammer is the most prominent.
The Brazilian boasts a 22-9 record. 15 of his wins have come via KO/TKO. He has KO wins over some of the most infamous fighters in the UFC's light heavyweight division, including reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. These factors only bolster his reputation as 'Marreta'.
Thiago Santos overcomes Johnny Walker
Thiago Santos headlined the UFC Vegas 38 card alongside Johnny Walker. 'Marreta' secured a cautious unanimous decision win against his compatriot.
The fight was scored 48-47 by all three judges. Rounds two, three and five were won by Thiago Santos, whereas Johnny Walker won rounds one and four.
The UFC Vegas 38 headliner marked Thiago Santos' first win since 2019.
Santos had endured a three-fight skid following his triumph against Jan Blachowicz. 'Marreta' suffered losses at the hands of Jon Jones, Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic, respectively.
Johnny Walker has now lost three of his last four fights. The Brazilian previously picked up losses to Nikita Krylov and Corey Anderson. His last win was against Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 178: Covington vs. Woodley in 2020. The Brazilian prospect needs to return to the win column soon if he wishes to compete in the upper echelons of the UFC's light heavyweight division.
Although Santos managed to secure a narrow unanimous decision victory, the fight left a lot to be desired. What was expected to be a slugfest turned out to be a rather lackluster affair.
