42 year old Leo Santos fights Jared Gordon on Sat. Hoping he can snap his two fight skid despite his age. He was winning both of those fights until he wasn’t vs Guida and Dawson. Santos went 16-1 in the ten years before those loses and the only loss was to Ponzinibio up at WW on TUF.
We will never know how good Santos could have been if he was healthy and active and in the UFC LW division while in his prime. We know he was good enough to submit GSP in ADCC, TKO Kevin Lee in UFC and KO Steve Ray (current PFL finalist). Also good enough that he beat Thiago Santos at WW when they were on TUF prior to Santos moving all the way up to LHW and taking it to Jones.
Despite making his MMA debut vs prime Gomi in 2002, Santos only lost a majority decision to Gomi even while that was his debut fight. Twenty years later, still has been a top 30 UFC LW despite not being active enough.
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Don’t know about official but tapology is listing it at 155 lbs and they almost never make mistakes. I’ve actually never noticed them make a mistake regarding weight classes ever so I think you can take it to the bank it will be at LW.
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So apparently Tony is going to WW and will be fighting Jingliang on the Diaz card.
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Lots of top 100 fightmatrix ranked LWs are now booked.
I see 28-3 Abbasov is getting a DWCS fight vs Bonfim on 9/6. Has to be the most experienced fighter to ever compete there. 15-1 Rebecki is also about to fight on DWCS vs Lideo
UFC upcoming fights:
Haqparast vs Makdessie
Ferguson vs Jianglang- Ferg headed to WW
Oliveira vs Makhachev for the title
Dariush vs Gamrot
Poirier vs Chandler
Moicano vs Riddell
Azaitar vs Frevola
Hooker vs Puelles
Johnson vs Diakiese
Bellator:
Henderson vs Queally
Picollotti vs Barnaoui
Patricky vs Usman for the title
AJ McKee vs Carlyle
Mamedov vs Browne
Rogers vs Wilde
PFL finals:
Ray vs Aubin-Mercier
ONE:
Rae Yoon Ok vs Lee for the title.
Note- I see Arlanaliev has not fought since he beat Nasyukhin last year and don’t think Alvarez has fought this year either. Neither has Nasyukhin. ACA champ Abdulvakhalav has not fought this year either. I’m sure Rizin champ Roberto de Souza will fight on NYE after he beat Case in June.
I can’t edit my post with the list but you can add Guida vs Holtzman to the list. Clay’s 60th pro fight.
Ok vs Lee happens in a couple hours, hope Lee wins the rematch and gets his belt back. That kid has been in ONE since he was like 17.
He was 5-0 in ONE in like 8 months and he fought Nguyen who went on to win ONE titles at BW, FW and LW in his career. He was subbed but in the rematch a couple years later he fought him to a split decision L and Lee has gone on to beat some tough fighters and now grabbed the title and defended it before he lost it in an upset to Ok.
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LW 18-3 Ismael Bonfim beat 28-4 Nariman Abbasov by UD last night in the most experienced bout in DWCS history to earn his UFC contract.
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I don’t care if Diaz vs Ferg is technically happening at WW tomorrow.
Its just a fun fight between a couple of LW legends and I’m hoping for FOTN and its likely gonna deliver.
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Really is a shame this fight never happened in their primes at 155lbs.
In 2015 Nate was coming off the big win against Michael Johnson, the loss to RDA, and the brutal KO of gray Maynard. At that same time T Ferg was on his win streak and just just beat Edson Barboza and josh Thompson which where big wins
Would have been the perfect time for that fight
But seeing Nate beat Conor after the MJ fight was nice too
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So 16-1 Rebecki won his CS fight and has punched his ticket to the UFC along with 18-3 Bonfim.
Just as an example of the level of competition Bonfim has been in there with,15-0 Usman Nurmagomedov is the 60th ranked LW in the world and Bonfim now finds himself ranked right behind Usman at 61. For Usman that ranking has earned him a Bellator title shot vs Patricky while for Bonfim it just means a UFC debut. Just find that discrepancy interesting. Behind Bonfim at 62 is Queally who just lost a title fight vs Patricky and is set to fight Bendo next Friday.
Jesus…I though Leo Santos was an old LW at 42, I see 47 year old Vener Galiev is still fighting and just lost a fight vs Kokov in ACA in June. 35-15 over the past 18 years so he did not even turn pro until he was 29 but that was not old to turn pro by 2004 MMA standards when he did it.
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I remember Volk saying he’d be the backup but I guess the ufc did not approve
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Khabib talking more shit after saying fighters should not and be humble lol
