Thiago Santos | Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos baffled his doctors after fighting Jon Jon for five rounds with torn ligaments in both knees.
Thiago Santos’ amazing feat of going against Jon Jones for five hard-fought rounds at UFC 239, with all the ligaments torn in his left knee and a few other partial tears in his right one, didn’t only leave MMA fans baffled, but doctors as well.
In an interview with Portal do Vale Tudo, ‘Marreta’, who ended up losing the light heavyweight title fight via split decision, said one of the doctors could not even find a scientific explanation for what Santos pulled off against Jones.
Especially given that he hurt his knee in the first round of the bout.
“Every doctor that I saw asked me the same thing: ‘How were you able to fight like this?’. Tata (Duarte, Santos’ coach) asked a doctor: ‘Doc, is it normal for a person to be able to walk or even fight with a knee like that?’. The doctor told him: ‘No, it’s not. It was his mind, his mind took over. I have no scientific explanation.’”
Before the loss to Jon Jones, Thiago Santos (21-7) was undefeated in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, with wins over Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz, all by way of knockout.