Here’s a recap of the wild three-week run dos Santos had last year, ultimately resulting on his entering 2024 as one of the most intriguing prospects on the UFC roster.
He was scheduled to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series towards the end of August, only to have his opponent, Edgar Chairez, pulled into a short-notice opportunity on the UFC roster. A replacement was found, but then he botched his weight cut, resulting in the contest being scrapped, leaving dos Santos without a fight.
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But then Kai Kara-France suffered a concussion during preparation for his UFC 293 bout with Manel Kape, and the Brazilian was tagged in. When he stepped into the Octagon, “Lipe Detona” showed he belonged, pushing the Top 15 fixture to his limits and establishing himself as one to watch in the process.
Now the 23-year-old Diego Lima protege makes his return, facing off with Victor Altamirano on Saturday’s preliminary card.
This is a more important matchup for dos Santos than his debut, as he comes into this one with far greater expectations than he carried with him into the cage in Sydney back in September. Fairly or not, his loss to Kape set the bar extremely high, and now is his first opportunity to validate those lofty projections and live up to the vision of greatness many have conjured in their own minds.
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Victor Altamirano is a good test for the young Brazilian — an experienced hand that will surely be buoyed by the partisan crowd in Mexico City. He’s split his first four UFC appearances, sandwiching wins over Daniel Lacerda and Vinicius Salvador between a pair of decision losses, but has been competitive throughout and brings a kick-heavy style into this weekend’s pairing.
There are legions of fans and observers anxiously awaiting dos Santos’ sophomore debut, and now that it’s finally here, it’s time to see if he can build on his tremendous debut effort.
