Leonardo Santos didn’t like the experience of losing for the first time in 12 years.
Santos (18-4-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC), who fights Clay Guida (36-21 MMA, 16-15 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 31 lightweight featured bout, had his 13-fight unbeaten streak snapped in March when he suffered a third-round TKO loss to Grant Dawson.
It was an abrupt end to a run that dated back to May 2009 and included eight consecutive UFC appearances without a defeat. Santos is aware defeat is inevitable for almost everyone in the game, though, so he’s able to take his lumps and move forward.
“I always learn all the time – I hate loss,” Santos told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 31 media day. “That’s the worst way to learn. But you need it sometimes. Sometimes it’s good to lose to learn something good so you come back better. That’s what I do. That’s why I worked harder this time to put on a better show for the fans. But it’s hard after 11 years to lose again. It’s bad days.”
Santos, 41, is among the oldest fighters on the UFC roster. He could’ve viewed the loss to Dawson as a sign things are winding down, but the Brazilian said he’s not thinking about retirement right now and wants to push as long as possible before hanging up the gloves.
He’s glad that was his decision, too, because he’s as motivated as ever by the matchup against Guida at UFC on ESPN 31.
Santos said he wasn’t targeting a fight with Guida specifically, but he wanted a reputable name in the sport that could elevate his resume. Guida, who has competed under the UFC banner since October 2006 and has wins over the likes of Nate Diaz and Rafael dos Anjos, represents the type of opponent Santos has always wanted to fight.
If Santos has his way, he said he’ll put Guida away with a submission in the first or second round.
“It’s a fight I dreamed for a long time,” Santos said. “Not Clay Guida, but a big name in the UFC. A legend of the UFC. We’re going to put on a big show for the UFC.”
Leonardo Santos finally gets ‘a legend of the UFC’ with Clay Guida fight at UFC on ESPN 31
