Mairon Santos initially celebrated a decision victory over Francis Marshall at UFC 313 in March. However, after watching the fight again, he came to believe his opponent had arguably done enough to win.
Now competing at lightweight on short notice, the Ultimate Fighter 32 featherweight champion is scheduled to face Sodiq Yusuff this Saturday at UFC Vegas 106, seeking a decisive victory.
Santos stated he used the Marshall fight as a learning experience. “I saw the mistakes and everything I did wrong in that fight, things I could have done right,” he said. “Let`s move on and look at that as a lesson.” He admitted being initially frustrated by his own performance rather than his opponent`s: “And I felt [the poor performance] was my fault, it were mistakes I made.” He clarified, “I`m not taking anything away from the guy, he fought well, but I felt there were a lot of things I could have done better.” He views the controversial win as a “good lesson” that prompted necessary adjustments for future performances, aiming for a convincing victory this time.
According to Santos, his primary challenge leading into the Marshall bout was excessive confidence in his striking. Having previously secured the TUF 32 championship with a second-round knockout of Kaan Ofli, he believed a single powerful punch would suffice against Marshall.
Santos emphasized the valuable lesson learned, stating he will implement new tactics for the upcoming fight. “I was happy when I saw I was going to fight [Yusuff],” he remarked. “Fighters always want the biggest challenges… I was happy when they gave me that name because I also saw that the UFC is giving me a good opportunity despite the fact that my last fight wasn`t the greatest.” He feels the booking confirms the UFC`s confidence in his potential.
Yusuff, also making his debut in the UFC lightweight division, is returning to action for his tenth octagon appearance after over a year away. He enters the fight under pressure, having suffered consecutive defeats to Brazil`s Diego Lopes and Edson Barboza.
Santos anticipates a compelling fight. “It has everything to be a great fight for me,” he said. He reiterated his prediction: “We always expect the knockout, so I`ll keep my word. I`ll knock him out in the second round.” He described his approach to facing Yusuff: “I didn’t respect my last opponent, and for this fight I want to respect him but not respect him at the same time, if you know what that means.” He believes Yusuff`s tendency to move forward and expose himself plays into his hands. “My hand will land eventually. He walks forward and exposes himself a lot. I believe that favors me.” He concluded by expressing hope for “the knockout in this fight — and finally a bonus.”
