Vancouver — A high-action scrap with Danny Barlow left Brazliian Djorden Santos with both a knee and an ankle wrapped and iced following UFC Vancouver, though he joked that he’d be good to fight again “tomorrow.”
“Not serious at all,” Santos (11-2) said of his injuries, though he likely will need some time off to heal up. Still, Santos picked up his first UFC win in the bout, earning the W on all three scorecards. The 28-year old from Belo Horizonte trains at American Top Team in Miami, and won his way into the UFC via the Contender Series last year.
Santos didn’t have any nerves waiting for the judges’ scorecards to be read at the conclusion of 15 minutes on Saturday, certain he’d done enough to win the middleweight bout.
“I was certain that I won, because he just caught me with one moment in the second round.” As Santos noted, he immediately pushed back. “I finished the round better than him, and in the third round I did more. I worked above on the ground n’ pound, so I was certain that I won this fight.”
For two straight fights, Djorden Santos has competed in front of fans rather than at the empty UFC Apex. He’s enjoying that quite a lot. “I grew up seeing the UFC in a big stadium, and I love to fight in the crowd. I thank you so much, Dana [White] and Mick [Maynard], to put me in the show, not in the Apex. Nothing against fighting in the Apex but bro, I love the people, I love the crowd. I dreamed about this many times.”
While he lost his debut, Santos believes that he won it; either way, he intends to improve more and more, and wants White and the UFC matchmakers to keep him on big cards. “I’m a dog, I’m a Brazilian warrior, and I have a lot more to show, I promise.”
Watch the full UFC Vancouver post-fight press conference with Djorden Santos above.
