Chris Leben knocked him out cold at UFN 6 and Alan Belcher threw a kick that crushed him at UFN 7. Jorge Santiago didn't have the best luck in 2006 after being signed by the UFC and getting a chance to make his mark in the best promotion that the sport of mixed martial arts has to offer. After getting a win at UFN 5 against Justin Levens by using his trademark knee strike to put Levens down for the count in the first round, his career spiraled downward much as it did back in 2004-2005. Again, he faced stiffer competition that eventually made its way toward the bigger promotions in Diego Sanchez, Jordan Radev, and Joey Villasenor. Now, Jorge Santiago is making his way into the mix once again, but will he be successful this time around?
Recent run and things to come...
Jorge has been rolling as of late. After his losses on the UFN cards, he took some bouts against some above average competition that he surprisingly bulldozed through with ease. Former UFC fighter and veteran of M-1 Mixfight Andrei Semenov was the first step to rebounding after Santiago's losses. After a decisive TKO win over Semenov, he managed to submit Jeremy Horn at Art of War in September of 2007. A little over 2 months later, he won the Strikeforce Middleweight tournament with two quick wins over UFC veteran Sean Salmon and BodogFIGHT veteran Trevor Prangley. In particular, his win over Sean Salmon was a highlight reel flying knee that rendered Sean Salmon unconscious and stunned the MMA community when Salmon was believed to suffer a seizure. He still hasn't been cleared to fight in California since the incident.
What changed? Was the UFC competition so much better than his recent competition? To an extent, yes, but Santiago still managed to impressively defeat those opponents in quick fashion. One could say that the competition he faced in the UFC simply had the one punch power to defeat him at his own game. It could have been luck, but he's rolled through four quality opponents on his way to a new rise to the top.
Santiago heads to Japan
Although not a step up in competition for Santiago, it could open the door to facing some top Japanese competition at 185 pounds. Santiago has been officially announced to be taking on Yuki Sasaki at Sengoku II in May at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan. Sasaki was Jorge's first round opponent in the Strikeforce Middleweight Grand Prix last year, but was not allowed to fight by the commission.
It should prove to be an sufficient test for Santiago considering Sasaki isn't overwhelmingly vulnerable to the knockout and has excellent grappling skills. Most importantly, it could impress Sengoku followers and fans. As we all know, the Japanese love exciting fighters, so it could bring more paydays to the ATT member.
Personally, I'm looking forward to see Santiago fight once again. He's been a beast as of late using his deadly knee strikes to the best of his ability. He's always been a loose cannon when it comes to striking, and he's always a danger on the feet. His grappling hasn't been the staple of his game, but it's also venerable in finishing opponents. Add in the excellent training partners from American Top Team, we could see the third coming of a Jorge Santiago at Sengoku.