Vancouver – A move with Danny Barlow left Brazilian Djorden Santos with both a knee and ankle wrapped and frozen after UFC Vancouver, although he joked he could fight properly again “tomorrow.”
“Not serious at all,” Santos (11-2) said of his injuries, though he will likely need some time off to heal. Still, Santos picked up his first UFC win in the fight, earning the W on all three scorecards. The 28-year-old from Belo Horizonte trains with American Top Team in Miami and won his way to the UFC last year through the Contender Series.
Santos had no nerves whatsoever as he waited for the judges’ scorecards to be read at the end of the 15 minutes on Saturday, confident he had done enough to win the middleweight fight.
“I was sure I won because he just caught me at one point in the second round.” As Santos noted, he immediately pushed back. “I finished the round better than him, and in the third round I did more. I worked above ground and pound, so I was confident I would win this fight.”
For two consecutive fights, Djorden Santos has fought in front of fans instead of the empty UFC Apex. He thoroughly enjoys that. “I grew up watching the UFC in a big stadium and I love fighting in the crowd. Thank you so much, Dana [White] and Mick [Maynard]to put me in the show, not the Apex. Nothing against fighting in the Apex, but man, I love the people, I love the crowd. I have often dreamed of this.”
Although he lost his debut, Santos believes he won it; Either way, he plans on improving more and more and wants White and the UFC matchmakers to keep him on big cards. “I’m a dog, I’m a Brazilian warrior, and I have a lot more to show, I promise.”
Watch the full UFC Vancouver post-fight press conference with Djorden Santos above.
#UFC #Vancouver #Djorden #Santos #matchmakers #big #cards