The long, drawn out media frenzy full of he said, she said regarding Jorge Santiago and whether he did or did not sign with the UFC is finally over.
The former Sengoku middleweight champion has put pen to paper and will make his return to the Octagon against Brian Stann at UFC 130 on May 28 in Las Vegas.
The promotion made the bout official earlier today.
Stann was initially rumored to face Wanderlei Silva over the Memorial Day weekend, but "The Axe Murderer" didn't want to play heel to a military hero.
That left "All American" without a partner to dance with over the Memorial Day weekend but once again, matchmaker Joe Silva came through in the clutch.
Stann punched his ticket to the middleweight elite by knocking out the previously unstoppable Chris Leben at UFC 125 on Jan. 1. Is he a bad match-up for Santiago to draw in his first fight back in the big show?
In his initial run with the UFC, Santiago went an unimpressive 1-2, suffering two spectacular knockout losses to Chris Leben and Alan Belcher respectively to send him on his way out of the promotion.
He wasted little time rebounding however, as he won nine in a row after that and has currently won 11 of his last 12 fights. That includes two defenses of his Sengoko middleweight championship, which he vacated to make his way to the greener pastures of the UFC.
They're throwing him straight into the fire against the super-soldier Stann but as they say -- the Octagon is the ultimate proving ground. Time for the Brazilian to step up to the plate.
He'll get the chance at UFC 130 which is set for May 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will feature Frankie Edgar putting his lightweight title on the line against the man who feels the belt belongs to him, Gray Maynard.
In other action, Quinton Jackson will take on Matt Hamill while Roy Nelson will return after his legal troubles against the always dangerous Frank Mir.
No comments:
Post a Comment