Thiago Santos started his journey in the light-heavyweight division with a stoppage win over Eryk Anders in the third round. Soon thereafter, he knocked out Jimi Manuwa and then put up a scintillating performance against the current champion Jan Blachowicz to grab his title opportunity against Jones.

He has been out of action ever since his split decision loss against the former champion. However, many believe that he did enough to dethrone Jones from the pinnacle of the light-heavyweight division. This weekend will make it 16 months since Marreta last stepped inside the Octagon.

“I didn’t go to the hospital that night. I went back to my hotel, and then the hospital the next day. But I knew my knee was completely torn, because every time I tried to get up and urinate the night after the fight, I couldn’t get up. I needed help to get to the bathroom,” Santos said in an interview given to ESPN.

In the fight against Jones, Santos tore his ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus in his left knee. It can be argued that former light-heavyweight contender Thiago Santos gave the toughest challenge to the former light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

After a dismal run in the middleweight division, Santos announced his move to the light-heavyweight division in September 2018. In less than a year, Santos cemented his position in the new division with back-to-back victories.

Thiago Santos takes on Glover Teixeira at UFC Vegas 13

Thiago Santos will take on MMA veteran Glover Teixeira in a potential #1 contender’s match for the UFC light-heavyweight championship.

Santos will look to announce his return in an emphatic fashion. It’s no wonder that Santos considered retirement after the horrific injuries he sustained in his last fight.

“And once I started to feel all the pain, and the difficulty of not being able to do anything alone, it popped into my mind now and then that I would never fight again,” Santos recalled.

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It will be interesting to see how he fares against someone as dangerous as Texeira following a 16-month lay-off. Needless to say, a lot would depend on how much Santos has recovered from the injuries he sustained in his previous outing.

Glover Teixeira will enter the Octagon with 4 back-to-back wins to his name. Santos vs Texeira goes down this weekend inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.