Let’s be honest. A lot of people are hoping Jon Jones loses tomorrow night at UFC 239. But on the flip side, there is no denying that there are also many fans who have stuck by Jones’s side for all these years who are some of the most faithful and loyal fans in all of sports. Either way you look at it, there are always a bit of nerves in the audience prior to a Jon Jones fight, whether you are anxious to see Jones finally taste a true loss or whether you are afraid of it. But for a cold-blooded assassin like Thiago Santos, it is just another assignment, only with a greater bounty:
“I’m ready,” Santos told MMA Junkie. “It is what it is. I think the fans are more nervous than I am.
“We can’t take the merit (away from) Jon Jones,” Santos said. “He’s a great fighter. He’s done what he’s done with all these tough guys. But at the end of the day, he’s a man who has two legs and two arms. I don’t care how big of a fighter or how big of a name he has. I’m going to go out there and beat him.”
When you look at Thiago Santos’s demeanor and posture before and during fights, it seems silly to question his sincerity when he speaks of a lack of nerves. But just because he plans to fight his fight in a composed manner free of butterflies does not mean he is taking the task at hand lightly:
“I’m aware of the challenge, but I look at him as just another man who feels and bleeds just like everybody else. It’s never easy. I know the challenge that’s in front of me. I’m sure he’s very well prepared as I am, and I’m going to go out there and show that.”
Do you believe Thiago Santos is ready for the big stage at UFC 239?
