A former soccer hooligan, Djorden Santos made his UFC debut in the first bout of the evening at UFC 313, falling short via decision to Ozzy Diaz.
Santos utilized quick footwork and sharp, speedy strikes in the opening round, emphasized with leg kicks, as the two went back-and-forth with their boxing. Santos' aggression increased in the second frame, landing a notable hook and several combinations that kept Diaz on the defensive. Diaz, however, upped his own output, landing stiff boxing combinations.
After the two went back-and-forth with power in the second round, Diaz really took things up a notch in the final round. Diaz managed to get Santos on the back foot. The Brazilian attempted to battle back with his own boxing, landing a head kick and takedown at the round's end, though Diaz maintained control for most of the round.
Diaz ultimately scored 29-28s on all three judges' scorecards.
Former Soccer Hooligan Falls Controversially Short In UFC Debut At UFC 313
Santos grew up an avid football fan, supporting Goias Esporte Clube and was never one to turn down from a fight. He eventually changed his life after joining a martial arts gym.
When I had my first contact with stadiums and soccer firms, I kind of fell in love with it,” Santos told MMA Fighting ahead of UFC 313. “It wasn’t the aggressiveness per se, but going there and cheering and jumping and celebrating and winning. That motivated me more and more. And we had wars between local firms and rivalries going on, and I enjoyed that even more.
My mom never liked it, and she suffered a lot at the time,” Santos continued. “It was difficult for her because I started smoking and drinking. I starting doing bad stuff like hoping on buses without paying, other things that put your life at risk. Soccer firms are more aggressive in Goias than in other places of Brazil. People take it very seriously. And when I saw people losing their lives, and others suffering serious consequences, I backed away from this dangerous path that made my mom sad.
This was Santos' first fight after defeating Will Currie on Dana White's Contender Series last year.
Diaz, a Bellator and LFA alumnus as well as a former competitor on DWCS, scored his first Octagon win at UFC 313 after a loss to Mingyang Zhang in his UFC debut.