‘It forces a fighter to go for the finish’ – Thiago Santos ‘motivated’ by PFL ruleset ahead of debut

Just a couple of days ahead of his Professional Fighters League debut, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos sounds excited to start…

By: Lucas Rezende | 2 months ago
‘It forces a fighter to go for the finish’ – Thiago Santos ‘motivated’ by PFL ruleset ahead of debut
MMA 2023: PFL 1 Weigh-ins MAR 31 March 31, 2023: Light Heavyweight Thiago Santos on stage during the ceremonial weigh-ins at at The Theater inside the Virgin Hotel on March 31, 2023 in in Las Vegas, NV. Christopher Trim/CSM/Sipa USA.Credit Image: Christopher Trim/Cal Media/Sipa USA Las Vegas The Theater at Virgin Hotels Nevada United States of America NOxUSExINxGERMANY PUBLICATIONxINxALGxARGxAUTxBRNxBRAxCANxCHIxCHNxCOLxECUxEGYxGRExINDxIRIxIRQxISRxJORxKUWxLIBxLBAxMLTxMEXxMARxOMAxPERxQATxKSAxSUIxSYRxTUNxTURxUAExUKxVENxYEMxONLY Copyright: xCalxSportxMediax Editorial use only

Just a couple of days ahead of his Professional Fighters League debut, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos sounds excited to start a new chapter in his career. At 39-years-of-age, ‘Marreta’ is set to take on 2022 tournament champion Rob Wilkison for his promotional debut on Saturday.

In an interview with Combate, Santos explained what led him to try a new promotion so late in the game. Though Marreta is aware he does not have much more time left fighting at the highest level, he believes he can still make waves for a few more years before his performance starts to suffer. With PFL’s one million dollar prize within his grasp, the Brazilian believes the change of scenery and the prize are motivation enough to keep him focused.

Thiago Santos is excited to start his new chapter

“It’s a new promotion. New rules. You can’t use elbows and there’s a point system. You have a season schedule, you know you’re going to fight four times in a year with the exact dates. You can program everything better,” Santos enthused. “I won’t be a hypocrite. Of course winning a million dollars is good for anyone, but I also wanted to write something new in my story. I’ve spent almost 10 years in the UFC. Now I’m at an advanced age, I’m 39. I didn’t want to try something new when I was already going through a bad phase. The time is now. I believe I can fight at a high level for three more years, so I’d like to try it. I’m not wasting any more time.”

“That forces a fighter to go for the finish as soon as possible,” Santos added, speaking of PFL’s point structure. “I think it motivates you to do that. You know that if you can get a finish in the first round, you’ll get a good score. That helps, it makes you more at ease for the next fights. That’s something we have in mind, for sure.”

Paired up against last year’s champion, Thiago Santos knows he needs to be careful against Wilkinson. However, the Brazilian seems to think the booking should be a good one, and might even mean he’ll showcase some of his grappling skills to secure a victory.

“Wilkinson likes to strike. He has knockout wins, he walks forward. He’s dangerous and aggressive. However, we noticed that when he fights strikers, he tries to take them down. He knows what he’s dealing with. We don’t expect him to strike with me a lot. He’s going to want to use his wrestling, but we’re ready for that. I’m ready for wrestling, jiu-jitsu, wherever the fight goes. I’ve trained that, too. I like the matchup. I think that debuting against the last champion has a bigger impact. I like the fight and I’m super excited.”

Santos (22-11) left the UFC on a two-fight losing skid, with defeats at the hands of now-champion Jamahal Hill and top contender Magomed Ankalaev. The 39-year-old’s last victory took place in October 2021, when he defeated Johnny Walker via unanimous decision.

PFL 1 goes down at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a featherweight bout between 2022 champion Brendan Loughnane and UFC veteran Marlon Moraes.

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Lucas Rezende
Lucas Rezende

Lucas Rezende is a Brazilian journalist and writer from Belem, Para. He has been covering MMA since 2012 and contributing with Bloody Elbow since March 2015. When not writing, Lucas also teaches English. In his free time, he enjoys reading, slapping the bass guitar and traveling.

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