Thiago Santos Believes he Beat Jon Jones, Says Rematch Has to Happen

Following UFC 239, Dana White argued anyone who scored the headliner for Thiago Santos over Jon Jones  had to be “out of their mind”.  Well, as it turns out, if you agree with White’s take, “Marreta” himself is one of those folks…

Santos faced the light-heavyweight champ last month, and despite being a massive underdog, he proved to be a considerable test for Jones. So much so, one of the three judges awarded the fight to Santos. The bout was much more competitive than most people thought it would be, and that’s in spite of the fact Santos incurred serious knee injuries in the fight.

Santos believes he won the memorable clash

Well, recently Santos spoke with ESPN, and while doing so, the 35-year-old provided his take on the fight (quotes via Bloody Elbow):

“It’s difficult for me to watch,” Santos said. “That’s why it took me so long to watch it. If I was a judge, I would have given that fight to Thiago Santos. I think I won Rounds 1, 2 and 5. I think the fact Jones was the champion weighed on the judges’ decision. I think the challenger has to do more to take the belt from the champion.

“There has to be a rematch,” he continued. “As soon as I am 100%, we have to get back in there and find out a real winner.”

“It’s difficult because of the way the UFC looks at decisions sometimes, but I’m not focused on that right now,” Santos said, when asked if he believes he’ll secure a rematch with Jones. “I’m focused on recovering, and when I’m healthy, my focus will still be on becoming a champion.”

These comments shouldn’t comes as too big of a surprise. After all, the fight was pretty close – despite White’s comments – and fighters understandably, are going to be biased when judging their performance. Plus, you do have to wonder what would have transpired, if Santos hadn’t trashed his knee early on into the contest.

Will there be a rematch?

Since Santos is going to be sidelined until 2020, unfortunately for him, the chances of the UFC giving him an immediate rematch with Jones seem slim to none. Especially when you consider White’s take on their bout.  But, due to what transpired in their first battle, you would think the road back to a title shot for Santos will be reasonably short. In other words, a big win or two, especially if they come against top tier contenders, could very well deliver it.