UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill Odds Preview
Is Santos Over The Hill?
Jamahal Hill is ready to squash Thiago Santos. Light heavyweight contenders engage in a “banger”. But not according to the Santos vs Hill odds. Hill, the younger of the two, is a considerable favorite as he is coming off two knockout victories while Santos has won just one of his last five fights. The torch will be passed again at Santos’s expense.
Santos vs Hill Fight Info
- Fighters: Thiago Santos (22-10-0) vs Jamahal Hill (10-1-0, 1 NC)
- Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, NE
- Day/Time:
- Broadcast: ESPN
Santos Has One Last Crack at Relevance
MMA is a brutal sport. Thiago Santos is a former contender now being used to “push” the younger talent. Once a challenger to Jon Jones’s title, Santos suffered a debilitating knee injury and has never been the same. He’s since lost to Glover Teixeira, Aleksander Rakic, and Magomed Ankalaev.
While Santos does hold a win over Johnny Walker, the fact he failed to finish the glass-jawed fighter shows he’s past his prime. But the man nicknamed “Marreta” has one last chance to prove the doubters wrong as he could turn the Santos vs. Hill odds upside down with a win over his younger counterpart.
Santos is 2-6 in his UFC career as an underdog. His last win as a dog came back in 2015 when he handed Elias Theodorou his first loss as a professional. Since this win, Santos has lost all of his bouts as an underdog. The UFC Fight Night betting odds read the Brazilian properly as he tends to lose when the public expects him to.
At 38 years old and following surgery for a devastating knee injury, Santos is not the same fighter. He has lost most of the explosiveness he had. This was a man that had vicious head kick knockouts and leg kicks that crippled fighters. Fighters from both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions feared Santos.
Now, the Brazillian is simply a stepping stone for guys like Ankalaev and Hill. He’s had a great run in the UFC events where he gave Jones his hardest fight and is tied for the most knockout wins at 185-pounds. But if Santos can still hang with Hill, God knows he may have a second run left in him. After all, this is a division where “gatekeepers” like Teixeira and Jan Blachowicz have become champions. Never count anyone out, and be sure to follow any movement with Santos vs Hill odds.
Hill Is A Thinking Man’s Fighter
We can describe Hill as a “knockout artist”. But he’s more of a “knockout scientist.” Hill isn’t so much a banger as he is a calculated striker. Many will attest that a knockout is more about precision and timing than it is about power and speed. Hill is calm in the octagon as he slowly marches his opponents down before landing on their button.
“The main thing that I feel is my best asset in the fight is my IQ, my mind,” Hill told MMA Junkie Radio. “I have a very good awareness of what’s happening in the fight, where I am, where I stand, just situational awareness. Things like that.”
His highlights attest to that. Hill walked down Alexander Poppeck, his Contender Series opponent. It took him several strikes from his feet, the clinch, and the mount, but he got it done. Then against former top-five fighter Ovince St. Preux, Hill whittled his defenses down before TKO’ing him against the fence.
“That is what I feel like separates me from every champion there’s ever been,” Hill continued. “Not just recent and things like that, just all of them, period. Not only that, I have some good physical gifts myself. I’m not small.”
Combined with his fight IQ, Hill is also six feet, four inches tall with a 79-inch reach. It’s part of the reason the Santos vs Hill odds significantly favor him. He will be longer, younger, and faster than his Brazilian counterpart. When considering that Hill could punch Santos and still stay out of his range. With a title shot in his future, Hill can add Santos’s scalp to his collection.
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