Thiago Santos Motivated to Be 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight King

Thiago Santos is looking to start on the right foot on his Professional Fighters League path.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship 205-pound title challenger Santos (22-11, 0-0 PFL) is one of the most interesting additions to the PFL light heavyweight roster this year. “Marreta” is a seasoned mixed martial arts veteran who has faced all kinds of competition in his 13-year career. His UFC foray ended after piling up a 14-10 record, including a championship clash with the then 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones that ended with a narrow split-decision victory for “Bones.” In his first PFL assignment, Santos will take on 2022 light heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson in a much-anticipated clash on April 1. Ahead of the bout, Santos revealed he sees three more years of fighting in his career, after which he wants to pass his fighting knowledge to the next generation of fighters.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:55) Preparing for Wilkinson
(01:30) Commenting on Jon Jones’ heavyweight debut
(02:37) His championship fight with Jones
(04:31) His last UFC fights
(06:11) Signing with PFL
(07:24) Whether the UFC made him another offer
(08:59) Hinting at the last years of his career
(10:00) Looking to coach after hanging up the gloves
(10:30) Teasing his best version on April 1
(11:16) Outro