Sapo: Askren not #1 welter outside of UFC, I’m higher
Luis Santos: “He is a great fighter. But if I had to put on a ranking of who’s the best fighter outside the UFC, I would put myself ahead of him because of my record.”
Luis ‘Sapo’ Santos began mixed martial arts by beating three men in one night under vale tudo rules in Rio de Janeiro on March 10, 2000. Friday he fights welterweight champion Ben Askren at ONE Championship 26 at the SM MOA Arena in Philippines, under the unique rule set that draws from the sport’s vale tudo traditions.
“You’re never too sure that you want something in your life until you do it,” said Santos to Guilherme Cruz for MMAFighting.com. “A fighter faces challenges, and I also wasn’t sure that vale tudo would become so big around the world. I really decided that night that I wanted this to my life, and that’s why I see that event as the most important fights.”
“I will fight under the same rules I fought that night against Askren, actually. It was a bit harder that time because there was no weight limit. I was a 165-pound fighter facing guys with up to 240 pounds. It was a crazy night, but we had some warriors competing.”
“I trained the whole time here at ATT. I moved to the United States and I’m training hard since December. I believe this is the best welterweight camp in the world. No doubt about it. And I also had the help from a few friends who came from Brazil, and the fighters from the next TUF season, so it was perfect.”
“I trained wrestling to be at the same level in an area in which he’s a specialist, and trained harder where I’m better than him, in the striking area.”
“I feel comfortable under those rules because my game is adapted to fight wrestlers and grapplers that will try to take me down. I feel really comfortable. These rules aren’t good for them.”
“He is a great fighter. But if I had to put on a ranking of who’s the best fighter outside the UFC, I would put myself ahead of him because of my record. That won’t mean much on fight night, though. I believe he’s a great fighter, yes, and that I’m ready to do a great fight with him.”
“I know he’s a good grappler, but my judo is really strong. I counter takedowns pretty well. He won’t have that much of advantage over me in that area. My jiu-jitsu is great, so I’m confident. I trained a few surprises for him. My game plan doesn’t involve being on my back. But if that happens, I will be ready to shut him down. I don’t see him as a great jiu-jitsu fighter, a guy like ‘Toquinho’ (Palhares). He takes you down and that’s it. He’s a controller, not a finisher, and I’m ready for him.”