Major Update On UFC Return Of Thiago Santos
Thiago Santos will be back inside the Octagon, although he will not do so on the originally announced date.
The UFC announced that Santos will meet Glover Teixeira in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Santos vs. Teixeira was supposed to headline the event on September 12. Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Hill has been slotted as the co-headliner.
It turns out that Santos will have to wait a bit longer for his return to action. That’s because Teixeira has tested positive for COVID-19. The light-heavyweight fracas has been rescheduled for October 3. Combate was the first to report the news.
Santos hasn’t competed since his July 6, 2019, title bout with Jon Jones. “Marreta” fell short in the championship tilt, losing via split decision. Santos had to undergo surgery on both his knees after tearing ligaments in his fight with Jones.
Despite the time away, Santos still holds the number two position on the official UFC light-heavyweight rankings. Teixeira holds the number four spot and if he can get a victory over Santos, he may find himself earning another shot at UFC gold. His chances of another title fight have likely increased greatly after Jones vacated the championship at 205 pounds.
Teixeira is riding a four-fight winning streak. He is fresh off a fifth-round TKO victory over Anthony Smith back on May 13. Teixeira has finished his opponents in three of his last four outings. He’s hoping to make it four of his last five and make a huge statement in the light-heavyweight division.
As for Santos, he’ll want to remind fans just how close he came to dethroning “Bones” Jones. To do so, he’ll need to shake off any potential ring rust and thwart a seemingly rejuvenated Teixeira.