UFC’s Thiago Santos Not Interested In Tuneup Fight Upon Return

Don’t ask Thiago Santos about taking a tuneup fight upon his return off double knee surgery.

Santos turned in quite the effort in his light heavyweight title bout against champion Jon Jones back in July. Santos became the first man to take a scorecard over Jones, but it wasn’t enough as he suffered a split decision defeat. Santos is forced to sit out until 2020 as he endured multiple ligament tears in the title bout.

Thaigo Santos Talks Recovery, Dismisses Tuneup Fight:

“Man, the only thing I can’t do is kick, but I can box, I can work on my hands and do conditioning training as well,” Santos said. “I can even ride a bike. I’m not able to run yet. That’s it. I can do a bunch of things, actually.”

“I can do many things,” he added. “I just can’t run. But I can do a squat, work the upper part of my body, ride a bicycle. There are a few restrictions regarding weightlifting. I can’t lift much weight with my legs, but I can do many things already.”

While many have suggested that “Marreta” take a tuneup fight before accepting another big bout once he’s fully healed, the title contender isn’t interested.

“If it was only up to me, being 100 percent, I don’t need a tune-up fight,” Santos said. “I don’t need any of that. If I can train 100 percent, I’m sure I will get there ready to fight anyone.”