Thiago Santos ‘Disappointed and Embarrassed By My Performance’ at UFC on ESPN 17

Thiago
Santos’ first Octagon appearance in 16 months didn’t go as
planned.

Coming off a split-decision loss to former champion Jon Jones at
UFC 239, “Marreta” carried high expectations into his matchup with
Glover
Teixeira at
UFC on ESPN 17. And while Santos looked dangerous as ever on
the feet, those moments were few and far between as he was
overwhelmed on the canvas en route to a third-round submission loss
at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Santos had an opportunity to jump right back into contention in a
light heavyweight division no longer ruled by Jones, but instead
it’s Teixeira who appears positioned for a future title shot after
his fifth consecutive win.

Santos, who had to endure a lengthy rehabilitation process after
undergoing surgery on both of his knees following the loss to
Jones, expressed his disappointment in a social media post over the
weekend.

“I’m totally disappointed and embarrassed by my performance, I
didn’t do anything I trained, I choked, I wasn’t the fighter I am,”
Santos wrote (translation via
MMAFighting.com). “I apologize to my coaches and team and thank
everyone for their effort, you’re great.

“Thank you all for always being by my side. I’m sorry for letting
you down this time. Thank you God for absolutely everything in my
life. I’m more than blessed and I don’t even know if I deserve so
much, my faith in you is unshakable.”

The 36-year-old Rio de Janeiro native has competed at both light
heavyweight and middleweight during his UFC tenure, compiling a
13-7 record and earning notable victories against the likes of
Jan
Blachowicz, Jimi Manuwa,
Kevin
Holland, Anthony
Smith, Jack
Hermansson and Nate
Marquardt.

View this post on Instagram

Eu estou totalmente decepcionado e envergonhado com
a minha performance, eu não fiz nada do que treinei, travei, não
fui o lutador que sou. Peço desculpas aos meus treinadores e equipe
e obrigado por todo empenho, vocês são demais, obrigado a todos que
sempre estão ao meu lado, me desculpem por decepciona-los dessa
vez.Obrigado Deus por absolutamente tudo em minha vida, sou mas do
que abençoado e nem sei se mereço tanto, minha fé em ti é
inabalável. . I’m so disappointed by myself, I didn’t anything what
I have trained, I wasn’t there. I just wanna say sorry to my
coaches, my family and everyone who support me. thank you God for
everything in my life, I am so blessed, nothing can change my
faith.

A post shared by Thiago “Marreta” Santos (@tmarretamma) on
Nov 8, 2020 at 1:04pm
PST