'TUF 32' winner Mairon Santos hopes to draw a striker in next UFC bout

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06/09/2024 16:45

Mairon Santos wants to test his standup against a high-level striker next.

Santos (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) knocked out Kaan Ofli in the second round to win Season 32 of “The Ultimate Fighter” August at UFC on ESPN 62 from the UFC Apex.

Santos was able to fend off the grappling of Edwin Cooper Jr., Guillermo Torres, and Ofli to win “TUF 32.” But now, Santos seeks a different challenge.

“I would like to fight a striker,” Santos told MMA Junkie Radio. “I already faced three wrestlers in a row – Edwin Cooper, All-American; ‘Memo’ (Torres) is an Olympic wrestler; and this guy (Ofli), Brazilian blackbelt in jiu-jitsu, a lot of submissions. So I want to fight with a striker next. I think it will be fun, and that’s what I want next.”

Santos’ exciting style has helped him build plenty of momentum coming off “TUF 32,” but the 24-year-old Brazilian featherweight is in no hurry to be fast tracked.

“I would like to go step by step, because I believe that I still have a lot to learn, a lot to grow,” Santos said. “I don’t want to rush things because I know a lot of fighters that want to rush things, and they end up not getting the wins and things don’t go their way.

“I want to go slow, enjoy the process, learn. I have a lot to learn. I don’t have black belt in muay Thai or kickboxing or jiu-jitsu, so I want to learn a lot before I go to the top, to the rankings. I just want things to happen naturally.”