Sodiq Yusuff vs Mairon Santos at UFC Fight Night 256 | Preview & Prediction
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Rising star Mairon Santos returns to action as he looks to continue making strides in the lightweight division but he has Sodiq Yusuff looking to halt his momentum
Sodiq Yusuff vs Mairon Santos Facts
What time are Sodiq Yusuff and Mairon Santos expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 256? UFC Apex, Nevada, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 256? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 256
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 256 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 256? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 256 main card
Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales (Welterweight)
Paul Craig vs Rodolfo Bellato (Light Heavyweight)
Sodiq Yusuff vs Mairon Santos (Lightweight)
Dustin Stoltzfus vs Nursulton Ruziboev (Middleweight)
Julian Erosa vs Melquizael Costa (Featherweight)
Gabriel Green vs Matheus Camilo (Lightweight)
UFC Fight Night 256 prelims
Jared Gordon vs Thiago Moises (Lightweight)
Luana Santos vs Tainara Lisboa (Women’s Bantamweight)
Yadier Del Valle vs Connor Matthews (Featherweight)
Elise Reed vs Denise Gomes (Women’s Strawweight)
Park Hyun-sung vs Carlos Hernandez (Lightweight)
Tecia Pennington vs Luana Pinheiro (Women’s Strawweight)
Sodiq Yusuff vs Mairon Santos prediction
Sodiq Yusuff (13-4) is back in action and he will be desperate to taste his first win since October 2022. He fought just once in 2023 where he lost a decision to Edson Barboza and just once again last year were he was TKO’d by Diego Lopes so he will be eager to get back on track here.
The Nigerian made quite an impact after graduating through Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2018 but those two losses along with some injury concerns have stalled his progress somewhat.
He returns and is paired off against the talented 24-year-old Brazilian Mairon Santos (15-1) which presents a serious test for him.
Santos has won both of his fights since joining the UFC last year with a knockout win over Kaan Ofli last August being followed by a split decision win over Francis Marshall at UFC 313 ten weeks ago.
The narrow win over Marshall gives some marker of Santos’ level right now and his record of 15-1 is somewhat misleading given the fact that all but two fights have been in lesser promotions.
Santos has momentum and youth on his side but Yusuff has fought at a much higher level for quite some time. So much depends on what kind of shape he comes in here but assuming he is sufficiently ready, we like Yusuff here to bounce back given the desperation he has to reset and get a much-needed win.
Prediction: Sodiq Yusuff to win
