(Jorge and Bigfoot: They run Bartertown. / Photo via Sherdog)
Arguably the most talented fighter to be included in our 50 Worst Fighters in UFC History list, Jorge Santiago‘s undeniable abilities as a knockout artist and BJJ practitioner have mysteriously failed him inside the Octagon. The former Sengoku champion and Strikeforce Middleweight Grand Prix winner has already burned through two stints with the UFC, which both ended in back-to-back losses. But thanks to an injury withdrawal on the UFC on FUEL 7: Barao vs. McDonald card, Santiago is getting a third chance to prove himself.
The UFC has confirmed that TUF 13 castmember Justin Edwards has pulled out of his February 16th welterweight match against undefeated Icelandic phenom Gunnar Nelson due to an undisclosed injury, and will be replaced by Santiago. On paper, this is a much better matchup than the original one — Nelson vs. Edwards felt like somewhat of a mismatch, while Santiago is certainly on Nelson’s level in terms of talent, and has far more fight experience. Then again, Santiago has been straight-up cursed inside the UFC. The most we can say is that it’ll be a much better gauge of how good Gunnar really is, and if he deserves the hype that has followed him into the UFC.
Santiago won two fights last year under the Titan FC banner, both by first round stoppage, and he currently trains with the Blackzilians. For a complete lineup of the UFC on FUEL 7 card, follow us after the jump…
Main Card (FUEL TV, 3 p.m. ET)
Renan Barao vs. Michael McDonald
Dustin Poirier vs. Cub Swanson
Cyrille Diabate vs. Jimi Manuwa
Gunnar Nelson vs. Jorge Santiago
Ryan Jimmo vs. James Te Huna
Che Mills vs. Matthew Riddle
Preliminsary Card (Facebook, 12:00 p.m. ET)
Terry Etim vs. Renee Forte
Danny Castillo vs. Paul Sass
Josh Grispi vs. Andy Ogle
Stanislav Nedkov vs. Tom Watson
Vaughan Lee vs. Motonobu Tezuka
Ulysses Gomez vs. Phil Harris