Thiago Santos Upends Elias Theodorou at UFC Fight Night 80

Thiago Santos (12-3) came into Thursday's fight against Elias Theodorou (11-1) as an underdog, but he stopped the hype train of the Ultimate Fighter winner with a unanimous-decision victory.

Theodorou came out aggressive from the opening bell but did not open himself up too much to a counter. He was active with leg kicks, and the Brazilian had some of his own. It was Theodorou who would come away with more offense in the first frame of action.

That would be the final round going in his direction.

Santos landed solidly on Theodorou early in the second, and The Spartan took the fight to the ground shortly afterward. Santos worked his way back to his feet, but the takedown allowed Theodorou to win some of the round back.

Santos began to light up Theodorou’s body with knees and punches from the clinch with just around 90 seconds to go in the round. With under 30 seconds left, Santos got a takedown of his own to win the round.

Theodorou wanted to get right back to the clinch in the third. Santos got a bit of separation and started to tee off on Theodorou. The Canadian forced Santos back to the fence to get relief from the onslaught. The Brazilian did not get the finish but closed the fight by using Theodorou as a punching bag.

The victory makes three straight for the Brazilian, who has only lost to very solid competition inside the Octagon. It will be interesting to see what the next move will be for Santos.

It was a solid victory in the first fight of the main card of UFC Fight Night 80.

What’s Next?

• Theodorou could have propelled himself into the discussion for a ranked spot with a victory, but that won’t happen now. This was a particularly damaging loss, as he didn’t show much offense. His takedowns were ineffective, and Santos beat him up on the feet.
• Santos put another "W" in the win column, but is he worthy of getting a ranked opponent? Possibly. It all depends on the matchup and where they put the fight. However, I think he is another win away from that level of fight given what is going on in the middleweight division right now.
• Theodorou needs a step down in competition as he tries to get back on the right track. He is a talented, fresh face. The UFC needs him to stick around, but he has a ways to go.