The MMA Daily

An exciting battle takes place in the Lightweight division, as Jared Gordon takes on Leonardo Santos. Coming off a submission defeat to Grant Dawson, which halted a three-fight win streak, Gordon will look to rebound. With wins in four of the last six, with one of the losses being to the current Champion Charles Oliveira, Gordon heads into this bout with a chance to re-position himself among the top Lightweights. Meanwhile, Santos returns to the octagon for the first time in 2022. Hoping to end a two-fight losing streak, the Brazilian heads into this fight with his back against the wall. At 42 years old, this fight could decide Santos’ career moving forward.

Once unbeaten in his first eight fights, which spanned over seven years due to injuries, Santos finds himself in a rare losing streak. With father time having caught up, the Brazilian has seen his skills regress. No longer a threat over the course of the fight, Santos has about a round of cardio before running on fumes. Having been stopped in back-to-back fights, it’s become hard to trust the Brazilian. Which is why I’m siding with Gordon. A well rounded fighter, Gordon can be best described as a workhorse. Known for his excellent cardio and heavy pace, Gordon looks to wear down foes over the course of fifteen minutes. Against Santos, Gordon has the upper-hand should this fight go past the opening round. A big if though, and legitimate concern, as Gordon has been stopped twice in his five losses (all via stoppage) in round one. Also, Gordon’s takedown defense is not great. However, I trust Gordon at this stage to survive round one, than Santos have the cardio to fight past a round. With that said, I predict that Gordon will in via TKO.