Undefeated UFC bantamweight Santiago Luna believes he’s already on the level of ranked talent.
The 21-year-old Luna (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has just one fight under the UFC’s banner, and his second is right around the corner. His high confidence comes from consistent training with ranked UFC competition, and he humbly believes it’s only a matter of time before everyone realizes that he’s among the best in the world.
Advertisement
“Of course, I’m getting better at the time that I’m sparring these great guys,” Luna told MMA Junkie Radio. “These high-level, top-rank guys, and even then that I know I have much more to go, much more to reach, and the level to get, I do believe – and I truly do – that I’m around that top 15, top 10 level.
“My daily sparring is ‘Chito’ Vera, he’s still in the top 10 in the bantamweight, in my own division, and (we have) great sparrings and everything. So, that truly gives me a vision of where I’m at. And not even him, I’ve been grappling with Arman Tsarukyan, so just on the grappling game, I see my elite level that I have, but I’m planning to show it to a lot of people this Feb. 28 so they can actually know the complete fighter that I am.”
In his debut at Noche UFC last September, Luna took out Quang Le (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) midway through the opening round. His sophomore appearance takes place at UFC Fight Night 268 in Mexico City, Mexico, against Angel Pacheco (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
It’s an exciting opportunity for Luna to not only fight on Mexican soil but also to capitalize on his stellar debut with another finish. He’s put in a lot of hard work during this training camp, and he believes the lessons he’s learned from Vera and Tsarukyan have him prepared.
Advertisement
“On the side of ‘Chito,’ I would say obviously the striking, and the precision of doing an exact move,” Luna said. “For me, I consider myself before, I was just rushing in to finish fights, or saw the opportunity and just rush for it. Now, with the help of coach Jason (Parillo) and ‘Chito,’ just to see more of the things that are coming my way and the things that I can use in my advantage, just like him throwing a jab or him throwing a straight, or a combination of me using everything to finis hthe fight really easy and not stress about it.
“… With Arman, it’s just the control on the ground. I think his control on the ground is elite. Obviously, from him and his team I’ve learned a lot of little details that I didn’t have. Being in the high-level grappling that I saw from them, now, putting in the last sparrings that I’ve been doing in the last weeks, it’s just amazing.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC’s Santiago Luna explains why he’s top 15 level after one fight
