Leonardo Santos doesn’t quite grasp how the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rankings work.
Santos has gone 5-0-1 since entering the UFC and holds a TKO victory over Kevin Lee. Despite his success, Santos is nowhere to be seen in the lightweight rankings. Lee is now ranked 12th, but he’s been far more active since his fight with Santos. Lee is riding a four-fight winning streak, while Santos has only had one bout since due to an injury.
On June 3, Santos will step inside the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 212. He’ll be taking on Olivier Aubin-Mercier. It’ll be Santos’ chance to make a statement and perhaps sway the movers and shakers of the rankings.
As it stands right now, Santos isn’t happy being out of the top 15 (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I don’t understand the criteria. That’s what makes me a little upset. Because when you come into the UFC, you think that the more you win, the more you climb to the top 15, top 10, top five, and maybe some day the belt. And we see that’s not really how it is. I understand it; it’s a business. Cool. But it has to (be) a little fair to who’s doing a good job – to those who might not be talking a lot but are showing it in the octagon.”
