Former TUF Brazil 2 winner Leonardo Santos has issued a statement after suffering the first submission loss of his MMA career to Clay Guida.

The lightweight veterans, Santos (18-5-1 MMA) and Guida (37-18 MMA), collided on the main card of last night’s UFC Vegas 44 event.

Leonardo Santos had entered the contest looking to rebound, this after suffering a knockout loss to Grant Dawson in his most previous effort. Prior to that setback, the BJJ ace was on a thirteen-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, Clay Guida came into UFC Vegas 44 looking to bounce back from the split decision loss he suffered to Mark Madsen in August. ‘The Carpenter’ had gone just 1-3 over his past four Octagon appearances prior to last night’s event.

Saturday’s Santos vs. Guida fight was a wild affair to say the least. Leonardo Santos stormed out of the gate landing 64 significant strikes in a row and nearly finishing Clay Guida in the opening round. However, ‘The Carpenter’ was able to survive the onslaught and the former TUF Brazil 2 winner was clearly gassed from his output. Guida took an exhausted Santos to the canvas early in round two and promptly locked in a rear-naked choke submission to force the tap.

The setback marked the first submission loss of Leonardo Santos’ MMA career.

The 41-year-old recently took to social media where he issued the following statement.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXGs_VaLqGn/

“First, thank God for everything. Thank to my family, team Nova União, and fans.
 Thanks for all the messages. I’m fine. Victories and losses are parts of our daily lives. We can’t skip this.” – Santos wrote.

Who would you like to see Leonardo Santos fight next following his submission loss to Clay Guida at last night’s UFC Vegas 44 event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!