Thiago Santos Wants Jimi Manuwa Next Following His Win At UFC Sao Paulo

Thiago Santos made his UFC light heavyweight debut at UFC Sao Paulo last evening and it appears he’s not done with fighting at 205-pounds.

The Brazilian took on short notice opponent Eyrk Anders who came into the bout on just five days notice following an injury to his original opponent Jimi Manuwa on Monday.

It the Santos’ debut fight in the UFC at light heavyweight having fought exclusively at middleweight since his promotional debut back in 2013. Reflecting on his victory last night, Santos said he felt good at light heavyweight and would be happy to continue fighting at the weight in the future.

“I can make 185. That’s a fact,” Santos said (h/t MMA Fighting transcribe). “I’m coming off three fights at 185. The problem is the recovery. I don’t get back to 100 percent. So what’s important is my health. Regardless of fighting someone like Jon Jones’ size or Alexander Gustafsson. But if I’m healthy, it’s going to be a war for them.”

With Manuwa stating prior to his injury that he was going to teach Santos a lesson about what it means to fight a real light heavyweight, it appears that the Brazilian is still very much up for the challenge. When asked who he would like to face next, Santos didn’t need to think twice.

“I hope that [Manuwa] recovers well,” said Santos. “I hope to meet with him in December so we can fulfil the contract that we signed.
“I want to fight at 205 against a guy that’s bigger than me like Manuwa so I can feel the pressure from a heavier guy. To see if I get punched by that guy and I change my mind and go back to 185 or step up. So, we’ll see.”

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