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PRAGUE, Czech Republic – On Saturday at UFC on ESNP+ 3, a patient Thiago “Marreta” Santos added yet another brutal finish to his extensive list with a third-round knockout of Jan Blachowicz.

What we didn’t see, though, was the struggle that took place in the lead-up to the light heavyweight headliner at O2 arena.

“I had an injury. Last week I could barely walk,” Santos told reporters, including MMAjunkie, in his native Portuguese at a post-fight press conference. “I spent the week treating my knee, going to the doctor, doing physical therapy. And, well, I decided to fight. I was able to recover it well. It still bothered me, still does. I’m going to do some tests, but I believe it’s nothing serious.”

On top of that, as Santos (21-6 MMA, 13-5 UFC) told Brazil’s Combate just a few minutes before, he also had to deal with illness in the days before the fight. In fact, “Marreta” said he was throwing up in his locker room before making the walkout to meet Blachowicz (23-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the ESPN+ bout.

If Santos was still feeling the effects of his pre-fight ailments, though, it didn’t show in the cage. Although his usual aggressiveness gave way to a more patient approach, the Brazilian explained that it was the product of his team’s strategy – tailor-made for the more technical Blachowicz.

It worked, as Santos’ second UFC headliner also ended up bringing his third straight stoppage win and third consecutive post-fight bonus. Santos is now tied with Anderson Silva and Anthony Johnson for second most knockout wins in the promotion’s history (11), behind only Vitor Belfort (12).

The remarkably active Santos, 35, now holds a single loss among his nine more recent bouts – with only one of those eight wins going to a decision. “Marreta” has also remained perfect since moving up to the light heavyweight division, having dispatched Eryk Anders and Jimi Manuwa in less than three months.

Add to it that Santos also has a TKO win over Anthony Smith, who’s currently booked to have his own stab at Jon Jones’ title, and the Brazilian striker has a very clear idea of what’s next.

“I’m very happy,” Santos said. “Now, I look forward. And, in front of me, I see only a title shot… There’s no one else in front of me. I beat the fourth in the rankings (Blachowicz). The third (Smith) is fighting for the title now. I’m the next one.”

Santos’ reasoning does make some sense, but there are still things to unfold in the UFC light heavyweight division. The first of them, of course, is the UFC 235 headliner between champ Jones (23-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) and Smith (31-13 MMA, 7-3 UFC), which takes place at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena next Saturday.

Santos, who plans on watching the title fight in person, believes Jones is the favorite to win but “wouldn’t be surprised” if Smith managed to pull it off. The Brazilian believes Smith has weapons to win and may very well end up doing so “if Jon Jones underestimates him.”

A win by Smith would mean a rematch of the bout that Santos won while the two were still middleweights. If Jones is the winner, though, we’re looking at a fresh matchup  for Santos – against a man who’s part of every “greatest of all time” conversation in MMA.

Each fight is a fight, Santos said, and he can’t predict how one with Jones would end. There is one thing, though, that remains unchanged regardless of who stands in front of Santos: He goes for the finish.

With Jones, he assures, it wouldn’t be different.

“For sure, I won’t be the favorite,” Santos said. “For sure, they will think Jon Jones will beat me. And I will shock the world, as I have been doing. I’m here, in this position where I’m at, for a reason. I want my shot. I want my opportunity. I’ve earned it. I want my opportunity. Just give me the opportunity, and I will shock the world.”

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