Djorden Santos: Awakened by Legends

A showdown between all-time greats spurred Djorden Santos to consider a career in mixed martial arts. Just 16 years of age at the time, he was in attendance when Vitor Belfort felled Dan Henderson with a first-round head kick in the UFC Fight Night 32 main event on Nov. 9, 2013 at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. It was a life-changing experience.

“I lived very near the stadium,” Santos told Sherdog.com. “Seeing that fight in person awakened something strong inside of me.”

Fast forward more than a decade later, and the 27-year-old Brazilian has put himself in position to create Ultimate Fighting Championship memories of his own. Santos will make his organizational debut opposite Osman Diaz in a three-round UFC 313 middleweight prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion, Diaz has rattled off seven wins across his past nine outings. However, his first Octagon assignment did not go according to plan: Mingyang Zhang put away the Californian with a first-round elbow strike and follow-up punches at UFC Fight Night 248 in November.

“He deserves to be in the UFC,” Santos said. “He also comes from a striking background. I see him as a tough opponent. I feel that I’m a complete fighter, both on the feet and on the ground. I expect to get a finish before the end of the final round.”

Santos split his prep time in his native Brazil between the Full House gym in Belo Horizonte and the Bonfim Brothers camp in Brasilia. Odair Bonfim, Eduardo Lopes, Renato Ferreira and Bruno Reis are among those who oversee his development on a daily basis. Santos sharpens his skills alongside a host of trusted stablemates, including Gabriel Bonfim, Ismael Bonfim, Leon Soares, Guilherme Soares and Herbeth Sousa.

“Training has been intense,” he said. “We added some new weapons and a few surprises. Don’t blink. We’ll put on a show. My goal now is to have some good wins and renew my contract after my third fight in the UFC. My long-term goal, of course, is the belt.”

The 6-foot-2 Santos nailed down his spot on the UFC roster on Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he swept the scorecards from Will Currie on Sept. 3. He has won five fights in a row since he suffered his only professional setback—a unanimous decision loss to Cristian Torres under the Titan Fighting Championship banner in 2019.

“Every fight is important,” Santos said. “They all brought me to where I am today.”