Former Sengoku middleweight champ Jorge Santiago (23-8) is scheduled to make his UFC debut at the end of this month, on the newly labelled UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill event on May 28 in Las Vegas.
Santiago is scheduled to meet fan favorite Brian Stann (10-3) on the pay-per-view card, a testament to the former Sengoku champs ranking among the World’s middleweight fighters.
Speaking to Tatame.com, Santiago spoke about his opponents ability to end fights with his fists, but promises that Stann will have troubles finishing him if he hasn’t prepared for all aspects of the fight game.
“The ground game is clearly where I’m better than him, but I believe that along the way you have to do a bit of everything. I can still mix it all up and win, but I’ve only seen him striking, hitting his opponents really hard. I guess my best game to be played is to combine all techniques and see what happens. Opportunities come and go, one way or another.”
“He’s a tough athlete, he has that military mind, you know, he’s really hard. He’s a good striker. He didn’t prove the world he can fight in any situations. His bouts usually finish fast, always on the stand-up game, so I believe I’ll bring him a new fighting style, because I can fight in any situation. He’ll have to prove himself better than me in all aspects. Any bout in there is hard stuff, there’s no easy one”.