Trots att Thiago ”Big Monster” Santos missade vikten inför mötet med Eric Prindle på Bellator 62, i en match som skulle avgöra vinnaren i den senaste tungviktsturneringen, så har Bellator uttryckt fortsatt förtroende för det stora brasilianska monstret.
Men även om Thiago Santos manager inte gör några ursäkter för viktmissen så är han allt annat än nöjd över förutsättningarna som gavs hans klient.
”What happened with Thiago was that he needed to cut a lot of weight for the fight on March 16,” säger manager Josef Borges till MMAjunkie. ”He cut 12 kilograms up until 1 p.m. of March 15, when I called him to inform him the fight was postponed. At that moment, he was only 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) from making weight.
I reaffirm that he would make the weight, as was the case in his three previous Bellator bouts. But the event was postponed by one week, and so he had difficulties in cutting the 15 kilograms (33 pounds) yet again. He lost 9 kilograms (19.8 pounds) but could not lose the remainder, despite a hard battle against the scale. He was emotionally perturbed.”
Bellators vd Bjorn Rebney tillskriver dock händelsen till att kosten inte skötts och därför har de till och med hjälpt Santos i kontakten med en kostrådgivare. Managern delar inte den uppfattningen.
”I don’t agree with the way Bjorn spoke about Thiago,” säger Borges. ”Thiago fought three times for Bellator and made weight every time. He would have made weight again on March 15. In my opinion, the fight should have been rescheduled for another date. Cutting weight two weeks in a row is very difficult, and Thiago was not ready to do this.
We respect the contract we signed, but it does not state that he’d have to lose weight two weeks in a row. He came ready to make weight on March 15 and was going to. He was only 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) above the weight he made for his other Bellator fights. As such, making weight on March 15 would not have been a problem.
Regarding his diet, Thiago comes a very impoverished region. He does not make much money yet, and can’t change his dietary habits suddenly. This must be done gradually, so it’s done correctly. I can’t force him to substitute beans for sashimi from one day to the next. These things take time. I am aware of the factors, but these changes take time to be implemented.”
Vem och vad som blir hans framtida största motståndare, om det är motståndarna eller vikten, återstår att se.
