UFC Fight Night 119 went down Saturday at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. In main card action, fifteenth ranked middleweight Thiago Santos would have the Brazilian crowd behind him when he took on Jack Hermansson.
Brazil’s Santos came into UFC Sao Paulo 2-2 in his past four bouts, but on a two fight winning streak he was no doubt looking to build on. Hermansson, meanwhile, was on a two-fight winning streak of his own, and 3-1 in the promotion overall.
Off the opening bell, Hermansson stayed light on his feet, showed good movement for a man his size, and executed a number of feints that kept Thiago Santos guessing. A little over a minute in, Santos would land a hard kick to the body, marking his first big offensive moment of the fight. At three minutes he then opened up, rushing forward with a combination while Hermansson covered up. At least one punch made its way through, and Hermansson was back-pedaling and looking wobbled.
Just as it looked like he would survive the round, however, Hermansson was caught. Thiago Santos charged in with another barrage of strikes that was initiated by a jumping kick to the body. An uppercut connected in the following sequence, mixed in with some hard shots to the body. Hermansson was felled alongside the cage, and Santos got on top to add more damage. The ref came in to wave it off just as the bell sounded (perhaps a little late, but angle may have played a factor), and in this fight, no one was saved by the bell. The fight was called, and for good reason.
With the victory, Thiago Santos improved to three straight wins in his last three outings.
Thiago Santos def. Jack Hermansson by TKO, Round 1, 4:59
