Tag: Leonardo Santos

Leonardo Santos finally gets ‘a legend of the UFC’ with Clay Guida fight at UFC on ESPN 31

Leonardo Santos’ 12-year unbeaten streak is over, but he intends to start a new one against Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 31.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] didn’t like the experience of losing for the first time in 12 years.

Santos (18-4-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC), who fights Clay Guida (36-21 MMA, 16-15 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 31 lightweight featured bout, had his 13-fight unbeaten streak snapped in March when he suffered a third-round TKO loss to Grant Dawson.

It was an abrupt end to a run that dated back to May 2009 and included eight consecutive UFC appearances without a defeat. Santos is aware defeat is inevitable for almost everyone in the game, though, so he’s able to take his lumps and move forward.

“I always learn all the time – I hate loss,” Santos told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 31 media day. “That’s the worst way to learn. But you need it sometimes. Sometimes it’s good to lose to learn something good so you come back better. That’s what I do. That’s why I worked harder this time to put on a better show for the fans. But it’s hard after 11 years to lose again. It’s bad days.”

Santos, 41, is among the oldest fighters on the UFC roster. He could’ve viewed the loss to Dawson as a sign things are winding down, but the Brazilian said he’s not thinking about retirement right now and wants to push as long as possible before hanging up the gloves.

He’s glad that was his decision, too, because he’s as motivated as ever by the matchup against Guida at UFC on ESPN 31.

Santos said he wasn’t targeting a fight with Guida specifically, but he wanted a reputable name in the sport that could elevate his resume. Guida, who has competed under the UFC banner since October 2006 and has wins over the likes of Nate Diaz and Rafael dos Anjos, represents the type of opponent Santos has always wanted to fight.

If Santos has his way, he said he’ll put Guida away with a submission in the first or second round.

“It’s a fight I dreamed for a long time,” Santos said. “Not Clay Guida, but a big name in the UFC. A legend of the UFC. We’re going to put on a big show for the UFC.”

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UFC on ESPN 31 pre-event facts: Rob Font, Jose Aldo battle for more accolades

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 31, which features a Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo main event.

The UFC kicks off its final stretch of 2021 events Saturday with UFC on ESPN 31, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN.

A very important fight in the bantamweight division serves as the main event of the card. [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) will attempt to keep his winning streak alive in pursuit of a title shot when he takes on former longtime featherweight king [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC), who continues chase a second belt at 135 pounds.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 45 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 31.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 18-24)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Oct. 18-24.

Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos added to UFC on ESPN 31 on Dec. 4

Lightweight veterans Clay Guida and Leonardo Santos will battle in December.

A pair of lightweight veterans will battle in December.

[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] (35-21 MMA, 15-15 UFC) faces [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC) on Dec. 4 at UFC on ESPN 31, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial post by Guida on social media.

Guida will be making his 31st walk to the octagon. After defeating Michael Johnson this past February, the 39-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter dropped a split decision to Mark Madsen at UFC on ESPN 29 in August.

Santos will look to rebound from his first loss since May 2009. The Brazilian went unbeaten in his first eight octagon bouts until he suffered a last-second knockout to Grant Dawson in his most recent outing at UFC on ESPN 21.

The latest lineup for UFC Fight Night on Dec. 4 includes:

  • Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo
  • Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Claudio Puelles
  • Rafael Fiziev vs. Brad Riddell
  • Montserrat Conejo vs. Mallory Martin
  • Brendan Allen vs. Brad Tavares
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Matt Brown
  • Tanner Boser vs. Sergei Pavlovich
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hil
  • Manel Kape vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
  • Jake Matthews vs. Jeremiah Wells
  • Louis Smolka vs. Vince Morales
  • Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos

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Leonardo Santos out of UFC Fight Night 193 bout vs. Alexander Hernandez

The 41-year-old Jose Aldo confidant won’t be fighting Oct. 2.

UFC Fight Night 193 is down a man.

Lightweight [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] has withdrawn from his scheduled Oct. 2 matchup against [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] for undisclosed reasons.

Two people with knowledge of the situation recently confirmed the change to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Hernandez (12-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is expected to remain on the card against a new opponent, who will be announced in the coming days. The reason for Santos’ withdrawal is not known, though Brazilian fighter hinted in a recent Instagram post that the fight may be delayed due to “personal reasons.”

The fight cancellation is the sixth in the UFC for Santos (18-4 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC), who has only fought nine times over the span of his eight-year promotional tenure. The 41-year-old Jose Aldo sparring partner is coming off the first loss of his promotional tenure – a knockout defeat to Grant Dawson in March.

As for Hernandez, the 28-year-old has had ups and downs in recent fights. Following his eye-catching knockout of Beneil Dariush in his promotional debut, Hernandez has gone 3-3 while alternating wins and losses.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 193 lineup includes:

  • Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker
  • Antonina Shevchenko vs. Casey O’Neill
  • Bethe Correia vs. Karol Rosa
  • Jared Gordon vs. Joe Solecki
  • Grant Dawson vs. opponent TBA
  • Sean Soriano vs. opponent TBA
  • Gaetano Pirrello vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Kyle Daukaus vs. Kevin Holland
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Devonte Smith
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Aspen Ladd
  • Johnny Eduardo vs. Alejandro Perez
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. opponent TBA
  • Misha Cirkunov vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Alex Oliveira vs. Niko Price
  • Stephanie Egger vs. Shanna Young

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UFC on ESPN 21 post-event facts: Derek Brunson climbs all-time wins list

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 21, which saw Derek Brunson beat Kevin Holland in the main event.

The UFC continued its busy March run on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 21, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]’s (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) resurgence as a middleweight contender continued in the main event when he largely dominated [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision, moving him into a tie for the third most wins in 185-pound history.

For more on the numbers behind Brunson’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 21.

Video: Grant Dawson KOs Leonardo Santos with 1 second left at UFC on ESPN 21

Watch UFC lightweight Grant Dawson pick up a last-second KO over veteran Leonardo Santos at UFC on ESPN 21 in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]’s latest knockout couldn’t have come any later than it did.

The UFC lightweight stopped [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] with one second remaining in their preliminary card fight at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 in Las Vegas. The fight was waved off at the 4:59 mark of Round 3 after the Brazilian went unconscious from several hammerfists.

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It was a close fight that Dawson (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) could’ve lost. The first two rounds were very even and lacked action. Both Dawson and Santos traded good shots on the feet, but nothing significant – and there was plenty of stalemating in the cage in some positions on the ground.

Dawson handed Santos his first loss since May 2009 and ended his unbeaten run of 13 fights. The 27-year-old Dawson, who entered the UFC after winning a contract at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017, is now on a five-fight wining streak. In his post fight interview, Dawson called out seasoned veteran Clay Guida for his next fight.

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UFC on ESPN 21 pre-event facts: Marion Reneau now oldest active UFC fighter

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 21, which features a Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland middleweight main event.

The UFC’s sprint of March events continues Saturday with UFC on ESPN 21, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

A key matchup of middleweights takes center stage in the main event. Longtime contender [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) will look to maintain his presence in the division when he takes on [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who fights for the first time since putting together a record year in 2020.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 21.

UFC on ESPN 21: Make your predictions for Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 21 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Leonardo Santos vs. Grant Dawson targeted for UFC Fight Night on March 20

Grant Dawson will draw a stern test in his lightweight debut when he faces Leonardo Santos.

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] will draw a stern test in his lightweight debut.

Dawson (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) faces [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on March 20, which does not currently have a publicly announced location or venue.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed to MMA Junkie on Wednesday that the bout is close to finalized but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Currently riding a seven-fight winning streak, 26-year-old Dawson is one of the brightest young prospects in the UFC. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has kicked off his UFC tenure at 4-0, most recently out-grappling Nad Narimani in July.

Since returning from an almost three-year layoff, Santos has picked up back-to-back wins with a knockout of Steven Ray and most recently a unanimous decision over Roman Bogatov at UFC 251 in July. Also unbeaten in the octagon, the Brazilian has won his past six in a row.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night on March 20 lineup includes:

  • Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland
  • Cheyanne Buys vs. Kay Hansen
  • Julia Avila vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • Max Griffin vs. Song Kenan
  • Gustavo Lopez vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Trevin Giles
  • Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Grant Dawson vs. Leonardo Santos

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