Thiago 'Marreta' Santos looking to stay busy, claims 'I will be the UFC champion'

Thiago “Marreta” Santos

After back-to-back first-round knockouts to start 2015, UFC middleweight Thiago “Maretta” Santos admits he’s disappointed he spent six months of the year on the sidelines. No matter, though, as he insists he’ll be champion soon enough.

“I wished to fight before this,” Santos told MMAjunkie in his native Portuguese. “I did everything I could to fight before this. My plan was to fight four times this year. There was even an open slot when Roan Carneiro got hurt. I offered myself to fill in against Gegard Mousasi. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen. They picked Uriah Hall. So I kept training and awaiting my next booking.

“The moment I finished my last fight in June, I already let everyone know I was available again. I want to work. I have been ready to fight. Now, I’m scheduled for Dec. 10. I’m happy with that. I’m training hard, and I’ll be looking for another victory.”

Santos (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) looks to close out his year at 3-0 when he takes on undefeated “The Ultimate Fighter: Nations” winner Elias Theodorou (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 80 on Dec. 10 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. The entire event streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Santos respects’ Theodorou’s abilities but believes his preparation, both in Brazil and the U.S., has him ready to defeat anyone in the division.

“He’s a tough opponent,” Santos said. “He’s a complete fighter who comes from wrestling. He’s very comfortable on the feet. He likes standup. But his specialty is wrestling. He wins his fight by using wrestling takedowns. He puts a lot of emphasis on that. I don’t expect him to change his style. We’re ready for that. We’re focusing on wrestling, striking and jiu-jitsu.

“We’re running after this victory, plus hopefully a spot in the top-15. Little by little, step by step, we want to climb the rankings, and soon enough be fighting for the UFC belt. Elias is a tough fighter. He’s undefeated, with good reason. We have to respect that. He was also the TUF champion. But he’s never faced Thiago ‘Marreta.’ He’s never faced anyone like me. I’m confident he’ll feel that once inside the cage.”

At 3-1 in his past four fights, and with the lone loss coming to an always-dangerous Uriah Hall, another victory would give Santos a three-fight winning streak and likely earn him a big-name matchup. At 31 years old, Santos believes he’s in his prime and ready to challenge for the UFC middleweight title in shot order.

“I’m coming off two significant wins,” Santos said. “Thankfully, everything has gone well since I came to the U.S. I’ve been putting in a lot of work, training hard. There’s no other feeling like this in the world – when you go to work and see such results. Thankfully, good things keep happening.

“After my last victory, I received a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. I was really happy for that. Of course, some things have changed. Some people start seeing you and treating you differently. But at my end, things remain the same. I have my objective – I want to be a UFC champion. I’m working hard to make it happen. I will be the UFC champion, sooner or later. It’s unavoidable.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 80, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.