Thiago Santos kicked off the UFC 231 pay-per-view cad this past Saturday Night, defeating Jimi Manuwa by second round knockout.
Despite some past comments about going back to middleweight, it would appear that Santos has decided to stay at light heavyweight from here on out.
“I’m in this division (now),” Santos told MMA Junkie. “I want to stay at 205. I want to fight, and I believe I’m in the top 10. I want to fight someone in the top five, for sure. One of the biggest reasons I want to stay at 205 is I’ll be more healthy. I still can fight at 185, but I won’t perform the way you guys saw at 205. At 205, I’m healthy and I feel happy. I can make 185, but it’s not what I want. I want to stay at 205.”
Santos has been undefeated since moving up to light heavyweight, defeating Eryk Anders and the aforementioned Manuwa.
No matter what weight class Santos is competing at, one thing the fighter loves is competition.
“I love to fight – if I have no injuries, there’s no reason I’m not training or fighting. I want to be a champion, so that’s how you have to do it,” says Santos.
The fighter is ranked #15 in the UFC Middleweight Division at the moment, but that is expected to change when the UFC updates their rankings on Tuesday.
