Strikeforce
STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos believes he's found a home at welterweight, but wants Mousasi or Manhoef after Diaz
Jan 25, 2011 - 10:00:14 AM STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos believes he's found a home at welterweight, but wants Mousasi or Manhoef after Diaz

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos has been in the fight game for a long time. The 33-year-old took his first MMA fights in the late 90s, and has bounced around in different weight classes throughout his career. Now, he's set to face off against Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz on Saturday night on Showtime, and he says he feels like he's finally found the right weight for him in the sport.

"After 15 years of searching for my ideal weight, I have finally found a home in the welterweight division," Santos said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "I fought 155 pounds at 18 years old then I ballooned up to 205 pounds. Now I’ve found a home that is comfortable for the first time in my career. I spent 42 fights looking for my ideal weight; all of that experience has made me a better fighter."

Most of Santos' wins have come by way of (T)KO, but the heavy hitting Brazilian wants to let people know that he's got an adept ground game as well.

"Nobody has really seen my ground game," Santos said. "I'm solid in Greco-Roman and I have a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I'm not worried about keeping it standing. I want to showcase my BJJ. If I'm underestimated on the ground, I'm okay with that. [I'm] very confident if it goes to the ground; I will be okay."

Though Santos believes welterweight suits him best, he's got a couple of fights in mind after Diaz that would take him back out of the division.

"Once I take the belt, I want to fight Gegard Mousasi and Melvin Manhoef in any weight class," Santos said.

Penick's Analysis: Santos has a definite chance of upsetting Diaz on Saturday night. Though he possesses a pedestrian MMA record overall, he's looked very good in his last couple of fights, especially in his bout with Marius Zaromskis. And with his knockout power and ground game, he can be a danger to Diaz on Saturday night. If he pulls off the upset, though he wants to fight Mousasi and Manhoef, moving up in weight again I don't think would be the best idea for him. If he continues to perform well at 170 lbs., that's the class he should stick with.