Thiago Santos Believes Jon Jones Will Prevail at UFC 285

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Thiago Santos believes his former foe will win this weekend.

After nearly 10 years with the UFC, including 24 appearances against some of the greatest fighters to grace the Octagon, Santos is now on the outside looking in. The man known as “Marreta” successfully requested his release from the organization to go fight for greener pastures in the form of the Professional Fighters League. Despite leaving the UFC roster, Santos is still paying close attention to his former company and past opponents, especially ones that invoke his name. Ahead of the UFC 285 clash between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane, Jones suggested that Santos was a more difficult opponent than Gane and a better overall striker. The Brazilian briefly spoke to Sherdog about Jones’ comments and his upcoming match in the new promotion this week.

“A real warrior recognizes the other,” Santos said graciously. “I couldn’t expect anything different from ‘Bones.’ No doubt we [had] and epic fight…a real war. Gane is a real tough opponent, but Jones is a different animal. I believe [Jones] will win Saturday and get the UFC heavyweight belt.”

For his very first appearance under the PFL banner, Santos will be serving in the co-main event spot of PFL 1: 2023 Regular Season. In his light heavyweight tournament debut, “Marreta” will square off with 2022 champ and fellow UFC expat Rob Wilkinson. Tapped to face arguably the best fighter on the division’s roster, Santos felt extremely motivated to perform well on April 1.

“I’m moved by challenges, and facing the current PFL GP champion on my first fight is a great one. I love to fight opponents who comes to brawl with me, and Rob also has an aggressive style. I want to show that I came to be the champion of the division, and there is no better fight than facing the current champion to show that,” Santos concluded.