A Sense of Urgency

Reality has forced Leonardo Santos to familiarize himself with a strange sensation: his back being up against the proverbial wall in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.

The Nova Uniao mainstay will carry a two-fight losing streak—the first such skid of his 20-year career—into his UFC 278 undercard pairing with Jared Gordon on Saturday at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. Plenty of questions surround Santos as he returns to the Octagon following back-to-back losses to Grant Dawson and Clay Guida.

“It had never happened to me before,” he told Sherdog.com. “I was undefeated for 10 or 11 years. Most of that time was spent at the highest level in the UFC. Now, these two losses…