Wow… In a Display of Pure Violence, Thiago Santos Stole the Show in Prague And Laid Down His Claims for a Title Shot in the Near Future…
It was definitely not the most high-profile card we’ve ever seen, but UFC Fight Night 145 went down last night in Prague and there were some superb moments. Brazilian Light-Heavyweight Thiago Santos was fighting in the main event and he stole the show with a monstrous finish.
Currently riding a four-fight winning streak since his move up to light-heavyweight, he’s beaten the likes of Jimi Manuwa and Eryk Anders. Now add the No. 4 ranked Jan Blachowicz to his hit list, because the Polish fighter just got pulverized.
Watch the footage below of some of the nastiest sustained violence you’ll see in a long time. Blachowicz still doesn’t know what hit him.
ON THE BUTTON@TMarretaMMA lands clean to close out #UFCPrague pic.twitter.com/MdQvLFIVLy
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 23, 2019
Violence
The finish came in the third round, when Santos stepped in with a heavy right hand, dropping his Polish opponent to the floor. He then rained down with a sustained onslaught of ground-and-pound. While Blachowicz was able to block some of the hammer-fists, they began to get through and referee Herb Dean put an end to the fight.
It was the finish the fight needed because it was close up until that point. Blachowicz might actually have been ahead on points. If you don’t want to leave it to the judges and you want to make a statement, do what Santos did. That was a devastating finish.
Thiago Santos (21-6) stakes his claim to title contention, waylaying Jan Blachowicz in round three! "Marreta" has won four straight and is 8-1 in his last nine. He has finished 16 wins, 15 by KO/TKO, and is tied for the second-most knockouts (11) in UFC history. #UFCPrague pic.twitter.com/wkL1IEu0bH
— Bulgogi Jones (@Hamderlei) February 23, 2019
Title-Shot?
After the fight, Santos made his case for a title shot. Jon Jones is booked to defend his belt against Anthony Smith next month, but ‘The Sledgehammer’ believes he’s next in line. He’s probably right. The light-heavyweight division is notoriously thin. A title eliminator between him and Corey Anderson might be the best way forward.
“The fans will tell who has to be the next challenger,” Santos said via a Portuguese translator. “I’m going to Las Vegas to watch Anthony Smith against Jon Jones. If it’s Anthony Smith, I’ll beat him again, and if it’s Jon Jones, I’ll beat him too.”
If this is it for @StefanStruve, he went out 🔛🔝 #UFCPrague pic.twitter.com/vyXjYKbTAB
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 23, 2019
Elsewhere
Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Stefan Struve battled back from adversity to win by arm-triangle in the second round against Rogerio de Lima. He left his gloves in the octagon after the fight and told the fans that he’s contemplating retirement. As one of the most distinctive fighters in the UFC, in terms of appearance, and a veteran of over 40 MMA fights, there will definitely be some fans who will miss the Dutch fighter.
For full results from Prague, see below:
Main Card
Thiago Santos def. Jan Blachowicz via TKO (Rd.3).
Stefan Struve def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima via arm triangle choke (Rd. 2).
Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gian Villante via KO (Rd. 1).
Liz Carmouche def. Lucie Pudilova via unanimous decision.
Petr Yan def. John Dodson via unanimous decision.
Magomed Ankalaev def. Klidson Abreu via unanimous decision.
Undercard
Dwight Grant def. Carlo Pedersoli Jr. via TKO (Rd. 1)
Chris Fishgold def. Daniel Teymur via rear-naked choke (Rd 2).
Gillian Robertson def. Veronica Macedo via rear-naked choke (Rd. 2).
Damir Hadzovic def. Polo Reyes via TKO (Rd. 2).
Ismail Naurdiev def. Michel Prazeres via unanimous decision.
Carlos Diego Ferreira def. Rustam Khabilov via unanimous decision.
Damir Ismagulov def. Joel Alvarez via unanimous decision.
