Thiago Santos Looking For Summer Return After Knee Injury
Earlier this year, Thiago Santos went toe-to-toe with Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title, coming up just short via split decision.
Unfortunately, Santos required double knee surgery after the fight, and it has kept him sidelined for quite some time, with a bit of time left to go before his return. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Santos admitted that he’s looking at a return date of around June, or perhaps a bit earlier.
“My knee, it’s getting better,” Santos said. “My recovery is going so good. I started training, and continuing my recovery at the (UFC Performance Institute) in Las Vegas, and I hope I will be back soon. Maybe June or before.”
Many called for a rematch between Jones and Santos after their initial fight earlier this year, but due to the double knee surgery Santos underwent, that was not possible. Upon his return, if Santos can’t get a title shot, he’d like at least a No. 1-contender’s fight.
“We will see what the UFC has for me,” Santos said. “If the UFC puts me in line for a title shot, for me it’s OK because I will fight again 100%. So, for me, it doesn’t matter, but if I need to do one fight before, it’s OK, too. I’m hungry for fight again, so I will be so happy to fight again, so it doesn’t matter if I’m in line for a title shot or one fight before.”
What do you think about Santos’ targeted June return date?
