Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
That was fast.
Less than a week after his UFC Vegas 13 headliner in “Sin City,” former light heavyweight No. 1 contender Thiago Santos will attempt to work his way back into the 205-pound title chase against surging division bruiser Aleksander Rakic.
That’s according to a report from ESPN.
Santos (21-8), who turns 37 in January, took former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones to a five-round decision at UFC 239 but ultimately came up short. His chance to reclaim his spot atop a very short list of contenders was later stymied by the slick submission skills of UFC Vegas 13 opponent Glover Teixeira.
As for Rakic (13-2), the 28 year-old “Rocket” has been looking to prove he belongs in the mix after dropping a split-decision to Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Fight Night 165. Unfortunately, his follow-up win did not make any broad, sweeping statements about his place among the 205-pound elite.
Hammering “Marreta” would certainly change that.
No other bouts have been announced for the March 6 fight card, which still does not have a venue or city attached, but you can expect that to change over the next few weeks.