Former light heavyweight title challenger Thiago ‘Marreta’ Santos headed into Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 38 main event with one aim – win at all costs.
The Brazilian, the only man to win on a judge’s scorecard against the pound-for-pound great Jon Jones, arrived in Las Vegas desperate to turn his form around following three consecutive defeats in his last three outings.
Losses to Jones (split decision), Glover Teixeira (submission) and Aleksandar Rakic (unanimous decision) left Santos facing gatekeeper status, or perhaps even the axe following those three defeats. But the Brazilian, who said he was back to full fitness for the first time since the knee injuries sustained against Jones at UFC 239 in July 2019, was ready to prove that he’s very much in the mix at 205 pounds.
‘Marreta’ did just that in Saturday night’s main event as he outpointed fellow countryman Johnny Walker to earn a unanimous decision at the UFC Apex.
Scores of 48-47 across the board saw Santos claim his first win since February 2019 as he kept himself in the light heavyweight championship picture.
Considering that previous win came via TKO against current light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz, it may only take one more big win before the hard-hitting Santos finds himself in line for a shot at the gold.
Also on the card, the co-main event bout between Kevin Holland and Kyle Daukaus was ruled a no contest due to an accidental clash of heads, while there were decision wins for Niko Price and Krzysztof Jotko, while Alexander Hernandes scored an 80-second knockout of Mike Breeden in the main card opener.
UFC Vegas 38: Results
Main Card
- Thiago Santos def. Johnny Walker via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
- Kevin Holland vs. Kyle Daukaus ends in a no contest (accidental clash of heads) – Round 1, 3:43
- Niko Price def. Alex Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Krzysztof Jotko def. Misha Cirkunov via split decision (29-28 28-29, 29-28)
- Alexander Hernandez def. Mike Breeden via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:20
Prelims
- Jared Gordon def. Joe Solecki via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Casey O’Neill def. Antonina Shevchenko via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:47
- Karol Rosa def. Bethe Correia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Jamie Mullarkey def. Devonte Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:51
- Douglas Silva de Andrade def. Gaetano Pirrello via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:04
- Stephanie Egger def. Shanna Young via TKO (elbow) – Round 2, 2:22
- Alejandro Perez def. Johnny Eduardo via submission (scarf hold armlock) – Round 2, 4:13