Gabriel Santos is a duel threat in the featherweight division.
The well-rounded Brazilian scored a highlight-reel finish Saturday at UFC 312 in Sydney, first blasting Jack Jenkins with a front kick to the face and then putting him away with a rear-naked choke submission in the third round.
See the incredible sequence below.
BOOM! Gabriel Santos lands clean Front Kick vs Jack Jenkins in Critical Round 3 ‼️ #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/U8mwsqTReY
— MMA Homie Podcast (@theMMAhomies) February 9, 2025
MOSQUITINHO GETS THE TAP @MosquitinhoMMA takes it out of the judges hands with a RNC in Round 3! #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/YPqW4cMvAJ
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025
It was a dramatic turnaround for Santos, who was rocked by a Jenkins head kick in Round 1 and had to go to his grappling to survive. Santos trapped Jenkins in a tight triangle choke that Jenkins escaped, but the submission attempt gave Santos plenty of time to recover.
After dropping the first round, Santos went back to his grappling and grounded Jenkins for much of Round 2. Though Jenkins avoided any major damage, the score appeared to be tied up heading into the final period, where Santos cracked Jenkins with the fateful front kick that led to the finish.
Santos (12-2) has now won two straight fights, while Jenkins (13-4) falls to 3-2 in the octagon.
