Djorden Santos’ journey to the UFC in 2024 and his debut on a Las Vegas pay-per-view card is remarkable, especially considering his past. Before his upcoming middleweight fight with Ozzy Diaz, Santos reflects on his life.
Born in Belo Horizonte, Santos moved to Trindade near Goiania at age 4. His childhood was typical for someone without many luxuries. However, as a teenager, he started down a negative path. Supporting the Goias Esporte Clube football team, Santos became involved in the more aggressive side of fandom.
“I was drawn to the atmosphere of the stadiums and the soccer fan groups,” Santos explained. “It wasn’t just aggression, but the excitement of cheering, jumping, celebrating victories, and the rivalries. That’s what I enjoyed.”
By 13, Santos was known among hooligans as someone who wouldn’t back down from a fight.
“My mother was very worried,” Santos recalled. “It was hard for her because I started smoking, drinking, and doing risky things like sneaking onto buses. Football hooliganism in Goias is very serious. When I saw people getting killed or seriously hurt, I decided to leave that dangerous life that was upsetting my mom.”
Santos found martial arts, which transformed his life. He went from being overweight to channeling his aggression and fighting skills positively. Known then as “Maguila,” after a famous Brazilian boxer, Santos immediately loved martial arts.
“Martial arts was a gift,” Santos said. “I don’t know what would have happened if I had stayed on that path. I saw bad things happen to friends, and I turned away from the hooligan groups and the streets, focusing my energy on martial arts.”
Living in Trindade, Santos researched martial arts gyms online and found Full House gym in Belo Horizonte, which seemed like a good place to pursue a career.
“In high school, I told my mom I wanted to move to Belo Horizonte to fight. She laughed,” Santos remembers. “I insisted, and she said I could go if I got good grades.”
Santos succeeded, and his mother paid for his bus ticket. His older brother went with him to ensure Full House was legitimate.
Life was challenging for the 14-year-old, far from his family, trying to start a fighting career.
“I lived in a pitbull kennel at a friend’s place,” Santos said. “It was a small caretaker’s house, far from the gym and in a favela. It smelled terrible, and I constantly saw violence. It was a very tough time because I was so young.”
“The gym wasn’t easy either. There were experienced fighters aiming for the UFC, and I was constantly getting beaten up. I had nightmares and hallucinations, thinking about the long bike rides to and from the gym.”
A friend offered Santos a bed closer to the gym. He improved as a fighter, winning three amateur fights in 2014. He turned professional, won in Belo Horizonte, and then moved back to Trindade.
“My mom sent me $10 a week, and I was staying at someone’s house as a favor,” Santos said. “I felt like I wasn’t progressing. I went back to Trindade to be with my mom and considered quitting fighting, but I loved it too much.”
Santos searched for a good gym near his mother and found Constrictor Team online, known for training fighters like Paulo Thiago, Renato Moicano, and others. He took a bus, rented a room for two weeks, and planned to join the team and find work.
Moicano, from Constrictor Team, offered Santos a cleaning job at his new gym in Brasilia. Santos, now 5-0 professionally, moved to Brasilia to train with Moicano.
In 2019, Santos got his first international fight with veteran Christian Torres at Titan FC 52. However, the trip to Florida was difficult. Training was poor, and he had to lose 38 pounds in 40 days while working. He also borrowed money for the flight.
He lost by decision and learned a lot. Facing debt and homelessness, he considered quitting again.
“I was going back to my mom’s and was going to quit again, but a friend stopped me,” Santos said. “He offered me a place to stay for a couple of months. I started food delivery, working all day and training at night, to earn money and repay the flight debt. It was frustrating to lose everything: the fight, money, investment, team, house. I thought fighting wasn’t for me anymore.”
Santos quit fighting again, though he still trained occasionally.
Everything changed when the UFC returned to Brasilia. Charles Oliveira and Renato Moicano were fighting. Santos visited the UFC hotel, saw the excitement, and decided to try again. Moicano gave him a ticket to the event, but the COVID-19 pandemic stopped fans from attending.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Santos said. “Whenever something good is about to happen, something bad happens. It felt impossible. I couldn’t even watch the UFC event.”
This time, instead of giving up, he used the disappointment as motivation. He was overweight at 265 pounds, but he trusted his manager to guide him back. Santos won two heavyweight fights in 2021 and returned to middleweight in 2022, winning the Thunder Fight belt, which led to Dana White’s Contender Series.
“Now we see the results,” Santos said, having lost 77 pounds for his DWCS win over Will Currie. “And now I’m debuting in the UFC almost ten years after my MMA debut. I’m proud of my journey. It was very difficult and unlikely, but I always believed it was possible. I’ve overcome challenges before, and I will again. I have work to do and a mountain to climb, and I’m just beginning.”
