With Glover Teixeira injured and unable to fight Jimi Manuwa in the UFC Sao Paulo main event, options aren’t exactly plentiful for Manuwa to face, especially as the UFC would rather have a Brazilian opposite the Englishman.
One such Brazilian who says he’s up for the challenge is veteran middleweight striker Thiago Santos. However, according to “Marreta,” Manuwa decided to turn it down.
Santos (18-6) recently bounced back from a KO loss to David Branch with a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland at UFC 227. He’s never competed at light heavyweight, although he did weigh 209.