Leonardo Santos issues statement following nasty KO loss to Grant Dawson

UFC lightweight Leonardo Santos has released a statement following his brutal ground-and-pound KO loss to Grant Dawson at UFC Vegas 22.

Santos and Dawson were engaged in a razor-close fight that was seconds away from heading to the judges’ scorecards. Though the judges would have scored the fight for Dawson, no one could have known that at the time, as some believed Santos had done enough to win the first two rounds and Dawson needed a big comeback. He did just that and more when he landed a brutal hammer fist KO with ground and pound with just one second left in the third round, eliminating the need to bring the judges into the equation.

Taking to his social media following the nasty KO loss, his first defeat in the UFC, and his first loss in over a decade, Santos released a statement. You can read it in full below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMrpB-PBGvO/

“Hey guys, everything is fine with me, thank God. Thank you for all the messages of support, encouragement, and empathy. Yesterday, it was another day at work. Just another day of my life, which I lived differently than I had planned or imagined. Being an athlete in the biggest MMA event in the world, the UFC is undoubtedly the dream of many athletes, whether young or old. And, I am immensely grateful to God, my family, friends, coaches, and fans for all the support they give me, every day of my life and make me a better human being and athlete,” Santos wrote. “And even, I am grateful to you, who writes what you want, for free and negative criticisms of MMA athletes, but who never wore a kimono, or a glove, who stays on the couch and has countless arguments and strategies that supposedly you would follow if you were in my place. People like you make us want to be better and better than we already are, make us want to outperform not other athletes, but ourselves. Thanks. What makes MMA special is not just about what we get, but how we feel when we go up to the cage. Every time I fight, I am grateful to have a new opportunity to do what I love. We are human and we come home. Winning or losing has the same chance of happening, 50%. We miss 100% of the opportunities we don’t ever try. But, they are just numbers. Congratulations to Grant Dawson @grantdawsonkgd, who is undoubtedly building an excellent career. I will be back soon. Oss

Where do you rank Grant Dawson’s KO on Leonardo Santos among the most brutal KOs in UFC history?