Shootbox featherweight Daniel Santos hopes to win his first knockout in the four years he faced South Korean Jusan-yu at the UFC 320 on October 4th in Las Vegas.
“WillyCat” has not scored a finish since the suspension of John Castaneda’s bonus win in October 2022. Santos entered the cage on three consecutive wins, with the final two being decided.
“I can’t wait to see my body flat like that and raise my hands and look at it,” Santos told MMA Fighting. “It’s something to thrive and close the weekend, but with years of experience, you realize that victory is more important, regardless of how it is. But I miss the adrenaline of knockouts, and that feeling is surreal.
Yoo, who shares the octagon with him on T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night, is 1-0 at the UFC after knocking out Jeka Saragih in just 26 seconds this June. “Zombie Jr.” Since turning professional in May 2021 with four knockouts, he has won all nine matches.
“Based on his fighting style, I think he’ll try to touch and get away from the fight,” Santos said. “I don’t think he’s going to stand there and try to blow it off with me. He knows I’m an offensive guy who throws a lot of strikes. I think he’s going to try to run a bit from this type of fight. I think that’s his strategy.
Santos was originally scheduled to face Doo Hosh in UFC Perth on September 27th, but was moved to the following week’s event after Choi was kicked out of the match. Santos admits that he asked him to take part in the UFC Rio show instead. His teammate Charles Oliveira’s headlines are across from Mateus Gamlott on October 11th, but he appears on a pay-per-view show where the rematch between Magamed Ankaraev vs. Alex Pereira was discovered.
“We have (Performance Institute) here for weight cuts, so that’s far less complicated (we’re fighting in Las Vegas, not Australia),” Santos said. “We’re more used to Vegas weather and routines. Everything is as simple as training and locations here.”
“Korean Superboy” Choi had more experience with the UFC after eight octagonal appearances, including memorable performances against Cub Swanson, Thiago Tavares and Sam Sicilia. Santos feels that yoo is not the same value name, but has hype.
“(Che) was close to the rankings, so by beating him, he’ll be able to get me closer to the ranked opponent, or even to the rankings,” Santos said. “He had more names in the (UFC), but after a quick knockout, I see this kid being hyped. (UFC) he’s a kid so he looks at him with good eyes. No matter who’s on the other side.