Back at lightweight, Leonardo Santos says he wanted an easier UFN 38 opponent

NATAL, Brazil – Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Leonardo Santos (12-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) successfully made weight for his UFC Fight Night 38 bout with Norman Parke (19-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), but he admits it wasn’t without a little bit of concern.

Santos said he worried the return to lightweight after his successful run on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2? as a welterweight would prove impossible.

“It’s never fun to cut weight,” Santos admitted. “It was nice to be at welterweight for a while. I admit I was a little scared to come back to 155 pounds, but I did everything right. I focused on my diet, and it ended up being so easy.

“I actually have never felt this good. I think it was just because I was scared I wouldn’t make and I’d have to hear Burt Watson screaming in my face, so I did everything right.”

Santos fights on the FOX Sports 1-televised main card of Sunday’s “UFC Fight Night 38: Shogun vs. Henderson 2? event, which takes place at Ginasio Nelio Dias in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

Santos admits he’s impressed by his opponent’s skills and joked he actually wanted an easier foe in his return to 155 pounds.

“I asked UFC to give me an easy fight, but they gave me a hard fight instead,” Santos said with a laugh. “Norman Parke is a ‘TUF’ winner, too, so I think it will be a war inside the octagon. I’m ready for that.”

The fight is Santos’ first since winning the “TUF: Brazil 2? crown in June 2013. A knee injury kept him sidelined for much of that time, but Santos said he’s now back to 100 percent.

At 34 years old, he’s not the type of young prospect typically associated with the “TUF” tournaments, but Santos believes there’s still plenty of fight left in his body.

“I have a lot of experience,” Santos said. “Maybe the younger fighters won’t have the experience that I have. Maybe you have more energy when you’re young, but I don’t drink, I don’t go out at night, and I don’t use drugs. I’m a professional athlete, and I’m ready for these young guys.”

Sunday night will be a stiff test, for sure. Parke already owns three official UFC victories, and he carries a nine-fight winning streak that dates back to 2010 and his time on Europe’s regional stage.

But Santos insists he’s ready, and the multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion knows exactly how the fight will unfold.

“That’s a secret,” Santos joked. “Don’t tell anybody, but yeah, I look to take everybody down and finish them.”

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 38, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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