Maison Santos knocked out Muhammad Naimov at UFC 323 for his first finish since winning the 32nd season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2024, but that came with an asterisk due to a weight miss on Dec. 4. Santos came in 1.5 pound over the featherweight limit for his bout in Las Vegas and said he tried his absolute best to hit the target prior to the official weigh ins.
“Everyone knows that in the weight-cut process we follow a super-hydration protocol, and I always do that,” Santos told MMA Fighting. “I made weight for my last featherweight fight. I always did it the same way: I started fight week at [158.7 pounds] and started the cut at [154.3]. Always drinking eight liters of water, then half on Wednesday. This time, when I drank water, I don’t know what happened, but my weight went up. Instead of starting the cut at [154.3] like I always do, I started it at [158.7lbs].
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“So from Thursday to Friday I went from [158.7] to [145.5]. I actually hit [147.2], if I’m not mistaken. On Thursday night I cut [11], and in the morning, I think I still had [3.3] left. But only half of that came off, about [1.5]. I was the last one to weigh in because I kept trying as much as I could. I was in the tub doing the towel process. I said, ‘Man, I’m not leaving here until I make weight.’ I kept trying and trying. I started cutting weight at 5 p.m. on Thursday and finished at 11, and on Friday I started again at 5 a.m. and finished at 10. Even then, I couldn’t make the weight. I know that next time I need to come in more… I don’t know, if I had come into fight week [1.5] lighter I would have made it. So that’s something I’m going to fix.”
Santos said he still wants to continue competing at featherweight going forward. “The Legend” told MMA Fighting going into UFC 323 that 145 pounds was the ideal weight class for him even though he envisioned a future at lightweight.
“I know the UFC hates it when a fighter misses weight, but I don’t think the UFC will force me to move up because this isn’t a recurring issue,” Santos said. “I made my debut early in the year with no problems. I needed the box on the TUF finale, but I made weight. I don’t think the UFC will make me move up, and my plan is to stay at featherweight.”
Santos also told MMA Fighting prior to UFC 323 that he envisioned a late knockout in the fight, and got it 21 seconds into the final round with a quick one-two combo. He blames Naimov for possibly making the fight last that long, too.
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“I’m more of a counter-striker, and I was expecting him to come forward more,” Santos said. “I was surprised by how hesitant he was. He seemed a little scared. When he threw his hands, it was more with the intention of pushing me away than actually hitting me. I remember in the third round, when I stood up from the stool, I said, ‘Man, I said I was going to finish this fight, I’m going to finish this fight. I need to finish this fight.’ And then I finished the fight right at the start.”
Now at 4-0 in the UFC, the Brazilian fighter originally planned on calling out David Onama after UFC 323 but doesn’t expect the promotion to reward him with a ranked opponent given his weight miss. Targeting a return to the octagon by February or March, Santos has an ideal foe in mind.
“I think that guy, Nate ‘The Train’ [Landwehr], is a good fight,” Santos said. “He’s an exciting guy, he talks trash, and I think he’s not that hard to fight because he exposes himself a lot, and I think it would actually favor me, because he’s a guy who walks forward and throws strikes without setting them up, and that style benefits me a bit. I’d like to fight him.”
