Leonardo Santos hopes UFC 204 win lands him fight with Michael Chiesa

MANCHESTER, England – Leonardo Santos’ victory over Adriano Martins isn’t likely to stick in the minds of the fans who tuned in for the early UFC 204 prelims. However, he’s hoping the victory will launch him into a fight with a much bigger name.

Santos’ (16-3-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) split-decision win over Martins (28-8 MMA, 4-2 UFC) opened Saturday’s UFC 204 preliminary card at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FS1 and the main card on pay-per-view.

It was a slow fight and mostly featured the lightweights circling and trading kicks to the legs and body while pawing with half-hearted punches. In the end, Santos got the edge on two of the three official scorecards and won by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29.

Following his win, Santos said the cautious gameplan was a part of his strategy entering the fight.

“It was part of it because he has heavy hands,” Santos said. “He’s a southpaw, and it was a little bit hard, and you have to be patient for the right time to put him down. It was hard, but all the time when you fight with a southpaw, it’s a little bit hard.”

Following the victory, Santos called out Michael Chiesa (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC). Santos won “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2” while Chiesa won “TUF 15.”

Both are riding four-fight winning streaks, so the matchup makes sense on some level.

“I hope (I get the fight),” Santos said. “That’s an idea. I challenged Mike Chiesa. I would like to come back to Manchester to fight my next fight. I’m looking for (a top-10 opponent). If you want to be the best in UFC, you have to fight with the best fighters. I think this is the best fight and a good fight for me. It’s a good test and that’s why I choose him. He’s a ‘TUF’ champion for USA, and I’m a ‘TUF’ champ for Brazil. I think it would be good.

“He has amazing jiu-jitsu. I like to watch his fights. Him, Joe Lauzon, Nate (Diaz) – I like to see the fights with these guys, so I want to fight with them and work with the best. Mike Chiesa I think is a guy who brings the fight and is a good fight for me. I think it would be a war and interesting for all the fans of UFC.”

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