According to MMAfighting.com, Middleweight contender Jorge Santiago has been axed from the UFC roster after having recently suffered his second-straight defeat inside the Octagon.Santiago, 23-10 in his MMA career, first fought for the UFC in 2006,winni…
According to MMAfighting.com, Middleweight contender Jorge Santiago has been axed from the UFC roster after having recently suffered his second-straight defeat inside the Octagon.
Santiago, 23-10 in his MMA career, first fought for the UFC in 2006,winning his Octagon debut against Justin Levens, knocking him out in the first round.
He then lost two of his next fights, being knocked out by Chris Leben in the second round, and getting knocked out by Alan Belcher in the third round.
Santiago then left the UFC, amassing an impressive 11-1 record in smaller promotions, including victories over Jeremy Horn, Sean Salmon and Trevor Prangley.
Santiago then rejoined the UFC ranks earlier this year, however he fell short in his return fight against Brian Stann at UFC 130, losing in the second round via TKO.
Santiago’s latest fight came against Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ace Demian Maia, where he yet again lost, this time via unanimous decision.
Filed under: UFC, NewsMiddleweight fighter Jorge Santiago has been released from the UFC following two straight losses inside the Octagon, sources have confirmed to MMAFighting.com. Tatame.com first reported the news.
Middleweight fighter Jorge Santiago has been released from the UFC following two straight losses inside the Octagon, sources have confirmed to MMAFighting.com. Tatame.com first reported the news.
After winning 11 of 12 fights outside the UFC, Santiago was given a second chance to fight for the organization. He subsequently lost to Brian Stann at UFC 130 via second-round TKO and dropped a unanimous decision to Demian Maia earlier this month at UFC 136.
The former Strikeforce Middleweight Grand Prix champion and Sengoku middleweight champion went 1-2 in the UFC in 2006 before being let go. He would go on to beat the likes of Trevor Prangley, Siyar Bahadurzada and Kazuo Misaki en route back to the UFC.
The 31-year-old Brazilian, who now resides in Florida, has a 23-10 pro MMA record. No word just yet on where he will fight next.
File this one under “least surprising info of the day.” Following back-to-back losses to Brian Stann and Demian Maia at UFC 130 and 136, repectively, word has it that Jorge Santiago has been released by the UFC for the second time. The American Top Team standout’s original run took place back in 2006, where he scored a quick knockout over the now deceased Justin Levens before ending up on the highlight reels of Chris Leben and Alan Belcher for all eternity.
File this one under “least surprising info of the day.” Following back-to-back losses to Brian Stann and Demian Maia at UFC 130 and 136, repectively, word has it that Jorge Santiago has been released by the UFC for the second time. The American Top Team standout’s original run took place back in 2006, where he scored a quick knockout over the now deceased Justin Levens before ending up on the highlight reels of Chris Leben and Alan Belcher for all eternity.
“The Sandman” was given another shot at the big time at UFC 130, where he was put to bed by Brian Stann in a Fight of the Night effort. At UFC 136 Santiago found himself grounded en route to a unanimous decision loss to Demian Maia and subsequently given the boot, which we warned him would happen. Santiago will likely be headed back to Japan, where he should consider changing his nickname to “Godzilla” because the man is scary as hell, until he comes to America.
Filed under: UFC, NewsDespite two pay-per-view caliber matchups, the UFC 136 Prelims show on Spike TV Saturday drew an unusually small audience of only 1.0 million viewers and a household rating of 0.8.
Despite two pay-per-view caliber matchups, the UFC 136 Prelims show on Spike TV Saturday drew an unusually small audience of only 1.0 million viewers and a household rating of 0.8.
The viewership for the UFC 136 prelims show is the lowest for a live prelim show on Spike TV and surpasses only the two preliminary shows aired on ION.
As a lead-in to the UFC 136 pay-per-view, the UFC offered popular ex-WEC champ Anthony Pettis taking on power puncher Jeremy Stephens and former title challenger Demian Maia facing off against former Sengoku champ Jorge Santiago.
The preliminary bouts series was coming off a strong performance from the Sept. 24 UFC 135 undercard show, which drew an average of 1.6 million viewers and an average 1.0 household rating. The live fights for the UFC 135 undercard featured Tony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley and Tim Boetsch vs. Nick Ring.
The next UFC Prelims card, for UFC 137 on Oct. 29, is expected to feature Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver and Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski.
HOUSTON — This is the UFC 136 live blog for Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago, a middleweight bout on tonight’s UFC 136 on Spike TV preliminary card from the Toyota Center.
Maia (14-3) is coming off a close unanimous decision loss to Mark Munoz at UFC 131 in June. Former Sengoku champion Santiago (23-9) lost his UFC debut in May to Brian Stann via knockout.
Round 1: The two dance around the cage exchanging punches. Maia flurries, then drives low and takes Santiago down. As Maia tries to pass to a better position, Santiago gets to his feet. We’re almost midway through. Santiago throws a head kick. Maia sidesteps him and lands a hook. During an exchange, Maia takes Santiago down again. Santiago is doing a good job keeping his guard closed against Maia’s dangerous submissions, but Maia lands a few strikes, and rides out the round on top. It’s 10-9 Maia.
Round 2: Santiago takes the middle as Maia wades around the outside. Santiago just misses with a head kick. Santiago has done well in the exchanges but just as he finds his rhythm, Maia takes him down again. Santiago defending well from guard. Maia gives up on trying to pass to a better position and instead looks for strikes. It’s sort of a stalemate, and the crowd boos them for the last 10 seconds. It’s Maia again, 10-9.
Round 3: Maia tries for a single leg takedown, this time Santiago defends. Maia keeps driving for it, and Santiago spins away. He’s got to let his hands go. Maia won’t let him. He clinches again. He has Santiago’s back but can’t drag him down. The pace is a grind. Finally, Maia takes him to the ground with 2:30 left. Maia scores with an elbow. Santiago is so intent on closing his guard that he hasn’t thought of trying to get up. Maia passes to side control but does nothing with it. This crowd is now officially restless. Luckily, time is nearly out. Maia lands a series of elbows in the final seconds, and it’s his again, 10-9.
Winner: Demian Maia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
HOUSTON — This is the UFC 136 live blog for Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago, a middleweight bout on tonight’s UFC 136 on Spike TV preliminary card from the Toyota Center.
Maia (14-3) is coming off a close unanimous decision loss to Mark Munoz at UFC 131 in June. Former Sengoku champion Santiago (23-9) lost his UFC debut in May to Brian Stann via knockout.
Round 1: The two dance around the cage exchanging punches. Maia flurries, then drives low and takes Santiago down. As Maia tries to pass to a better position, Santiago gets to his feet. We’re almost midway through. Santiago throws a head kick. Maia sidesteps him and lands a hook. During an exchange, Maia takes Santiago down again. Santiago is doing a good job keeping his guard closed against Maia’s dangerous submissions, but Maia lands a few strikes, and rides out the round on top. It’s 10-9 Maia.
Round 2: Santiago takes the middle as Maia wades around the outside. Santiago just misses with a head kick. Santiago has done well in the exchanges but just as he finds his rhythm, Maia takes him down again. Santiago defending well from guard. Maia gives up on trying to pass to a better position and instead looks for strikes. It’s sort of a stalemate, and the crowd boos them for the last 10 seconds. It’s Maia again, 10-9.
Round 3: Maia tries for a single leg takedown, this time Santiago defends. Maia keeps driving for it, and Santiago spins away. He’s got to let his hands go. Maia won’t let him. He clinches again. He has Santiago’s back but can’t drag him down. The pace is a grind. Finally, Maia takes him to the ground with 2:30 left. Maia scores with an elbow. Santiago is so intent on closing his guard that he hasn’t thought of trying to get up. Maia passes to side control but does nothing with it. This crowd is now officially restless. Luckily, time is nearly out. Maia lands a series of elbows in the final seconds, and it’s his again, 10-9.
Winner: Demian Maia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Filed under: UFCMusings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before UFC 136 in Houston. Here are just a few of them, for your consideration.
I. After the first Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard fight, who’d have guessed we’d want …
Musings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before UFC 136 in Houston. Here are just a few of them, for your consideration.
I. After the first Frankie Edgar–Gray Maynard fight, who’d have guessed we’d want to see two more? Certainly not me. I remember well the feeling of dull obligation when the main event at UFC 125 rolled around. I was at home, watching the pay-per-view with my wife and some friends. After the Leben-Stann fight most of my friends went home (or to the bars that might as well be their homes), and my wife went to bed. If it hadn’t been my job to stay up and write, I might have DVR’d the final fight and followed her. Thankfully, I had no choice but to watch it live, and by the end of the first round I was debating waking her up and telling her she just had to see what was happening. I didn’t (my wife’s a fan, but she doesn’t mind waiting until the morning to catch the recorded version), and it was probably the right call for the sake of domestic bliss. Still, that fight served as a reminder that no matter how many events you’ve seen, you never know for sure what you’re going to get. That’s a sword that cuts two ways, of course, and with the Edgar-Maynard trilogy we have no way of telling whether the end will be fittingly satisfying or disappointingly mediocre. Maybe the best we can hope for is that finally, after months of waiting, it will really and truly be over.
II. In terms of his legacy, Kenny Florian has never had a more important fight. It’s not just because there’s a title at stake. He’s been there before. It’s because, if he loses, this will almost certainly be the last UFC title that Florian ever gets a shot at. He’s already dropped as low as he can go, and there’s no future for him back at lightweight. Either he’s going to finally win a title, or he’s going to cement his legacy as one of the best UFC fighters to never be a champion — a sort of MMA Jim Kelly, if you will. It’s not the worst thing that could happen. Better to be Kelly than to be Ryan Leaf. It’s better still to be a champion, and Florian is looking at his last best hope.
III. So…have we all just forgotten about that whole Chael Sonnen testosterone thing? The fact that it was a huge issue after the Anderson Silva fight and a complete non-issue before this fight really makes you wonder, are our attention spans that short, or was it all really just a paperwork and disclosure issue after all? No one seems to be asking Sonnen whether he’s been using testosterone in the lead-up to UFC 136, with the exception of a guy named Aaron on our recent live chat, and kudos to him. Aaron asked Sonnen point blank whether he’s still using it and whether it’s legal for him to do so in Texas, to which Sonnen replied:
“I really can’t get into it because I don’t fully understand it myself. It’s one of those things you try to learn as best you go but I’m not the guy who handles that. I’m not a manager. And they don’t make it extremely clear. There’s not a web site or anything we can go to to find out. …It would be helpful if the commissions told us more. It makes it tough on a guy to follow a rule when nobody is willing to clarify what the rule is.”
Now who’s elusive?
IV. Gray Maynard hasn’t finished a fight inside the distance since 2007. Edgar hasn’t done it since 2009, and that was against not-so-distinguished competition in Matt Veach (who’s now riding a two-fight losing streak in the minor leagues, last time I checked). For the fans who crave finishes and berate champions who don’t deliver them, is this a kiss of death? Will they continue to care about and/or pay to see UFC lightweight title contests if it’s almost a given that it will end up in the hands of the judges? I don’t know, but personally I’ve never understood the line of reasoning that claims the only good fight is a finished fight. Granted, draws like the one we saw last time leave us feeling cold, but who can say they didn’t have a great time watching that fight? Just because no one tapped or got knocked out, that doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t money well spent.
V. Joey Beltran has never lost to a fighter making his UFC debut. Okay, so he’s only fought two of them so far — Rolles Gracie and Aaron Rosa — but he won both. Now he’ll try to keep the streak intact against undefeated newcomer Stipe Miocic, who the UFC reportedly has high hopes for. Can Beltran play spoiler again? Oddsmakers don’t think so. Most have Miocic as a 3-1 favorite. But then, they’ve been wrong about Beltran before.
VI. We’re about to find out a lot about Anthony Pettis‘ potential. He dazzled us with the Showtime kick in the WEC, then squandered his promised title shot with a loss to Clay Guida in his UFC debut. Now he’s relegated to the prelims in a fight against Jeremy Stephens, who is the exact sort of fighter you simply must be able to beat if you want to be a contender at this level. Stephens is a resilient scrapper with knockout power, but he’s no world-beater. He’s someone who, on paper, Pettis ought to be able to handle. But Stephens never makes it easy on you, and he’s never more than one good punch away from ruining your night. If Pettis can’t beat him, we’ll know that “Showtime” isn’t quite ready for primetime.
VII. Jorge Santiago doesn’t need to panic just yet, but he should be at least a little concerned. His last UFC run ended after two consecutive losses in 2006. Now he’s 0-1 in his return, and facing a heavy favorite in Demian Maia. A loss here doesn’t necessarily mean he’s gone — Stann and then Maia is a heck of a one-two punch in your first fights back in the UFC — but it doesn’t bode well for his future either.
VIII. Melvin Guillard didn’t have to take this fight, but why wouldn’t he? After five straight wins, he could have probably opted to sit around and wait for either a title shot or at least a clear number one contender bout. But the way the lightweight division is looking right now, on the sidelines is no place to be. By continuing to take fights Guillard not only keeps his skills sharp and his bank account full, he also keeps himself in the conversation about top UFC lightweights. When the UFC does finally get around to promoting a 155-pound title fight that doesn’t include both Maynard and Edgar, Guillard’s recent triumphs will still be fresh in people’s minds. That is, if he is indeed triumphant here. Naturally, nothing’s guaranteed, but if you didn’t think you could beat Joe Lauzon 99 times out of 100, what would make you think you could be UFC champion?
According to MMAfighting.com, Middleweight contender Jorge Santiago has been axed from the UFC roster after having recently suffered his second-straight defeat inside the Octagon.
Middleweight fighter 
Despite two pay-per-view caliber matchups, the 
HOUSTON — This is the 
Musings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before