Contender Series alum Djorden Santos made his promotional debut opposite Ozzy Diaz at UFC 313 on Saturday.
The light heavyweight fight featured on the night’s preliminary card, which kicked off a little later in the evening then planned after both Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda and Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev were cancelled.
Diaz came in looking for his first victory in the promotion.
Santos opened round one by pumping the jab and landing heavy calf kicks, while Diaz relied on counters, managing to connect with a left over the top. However, Santos controlled the fight early with his long jab and consistent leg kicks. While he wasn’t landing anything particularly damaging, Diaz was hesitant to commit to his offense. As the round progressed, Diaz started finding his jab and range, but when he landed, Santos responded with urgency, firing back combinations. Though Diaz found his rhythm late, Santos was the more active, efficient, and aggressive fighter in the opening frame.
In round two, Santos came out swinging, throwing wild hooks from both hands. His technique was sloppy when looping punches from the side, but his jab remained sharp. Diaz stayed patient, relying on his more polished boxing, and his jab looked crisp, landing at will. As the round progressed, he began finding success with his one-two combinations. Meanwhile, Santos kept pushing forward, maintaining volume despite his awkward mechanics—his punches lacked full rotation, yet they still connected nonetheless. It was a much closer round, making round three crucial for both fighters.
In the final round, Santos stuck to his high-volume approach, landing short combinations despite showing clear signs of fatigue. His defense appeared noticeably declined, making him the more vulnerable of the two. Diaz, however, relied almost exclusively on his jab and needed something more impactful. Midway through the round, he delivered a well-placed knee to the body, then followed up with clean punches as Santos began to wilt. At one point, Santos looked on the verge of collapsing but refused to back down, continuing to march forward. In the final seconds, Diaz threw a head kick but slipped, allowing Santos to end the fight on top. It was a dominant round for Diaz, and helped him capture a unanimous decision and his first UFC win.
Official Result: Ozzy Diaz def. Djorden Santos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
