LAS VEGAS – Mairon Santos beat Francis Marshall with a split decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Santos, who as of a couple months into 2025 pulled off the Robbery of the Year so far with a split call in a fight virtually no one thought he won.
Mairon Santos def. Francis Marshall
Result: Mairon Santos def. Francis Marshall via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Santos (15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Marshall (8-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC)
Key stats: Marshall landed three takedowns and was a 12-1 favorite in the live odds to win the fight at its conclusion. Every MMA outlet tracked by MMA Decisions scored the fight for Marshall, and more than three-quarters of them scored it 30-27 for Marshall.
Mar 8, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mairon Santos (red gloves) reacts after defeating Francis Marshall (blue gloves) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Santos on the fight’s key moment
“The first round, we knew that he could be dangerous. But everything was going so good. I defended the takedown, and then he landed a good shot. I wasn’t planning on that. Other than that, we knew that if he did take me down, it would be just to hold me and make it boring – not to do damage and try to submit me. We knew a lot of things, but some things we got caught by surprise. But I showed that I can adjust, and I’m happy with that.”
Mar 8, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mairon Santos (red gloves) fights Francis Marshall (blue gloves) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Santos on the scoring
“I was very surprised (a judge had it 30-27 for Marshall), but judges – they always do that. I don’t know how those guys were able to be in that place to judge a fight. Let me land two calf kicks and one jab, and then you take me down for 30 seconds and hug me and let’s see the difference. They don’t know sh*t. I want to fight. Someone gave those (judges) power, and they always do things like that.”
Santos on what he wants next
“I would like to get back to the cage the middle of the year. I just think I need some time. From what I see right now, I don’t have any major injuries, nothing crazy. I’m just sore from the fight. Middle of the year would be good.”
To hear more from Santos, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.
This news first appeared on MMA Junkie. Read the original article here
