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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Jorge Santiago has put pen to paper and is now signed with the UFC for a multi-fight deal, according to a report from MMAWeekly.com.
Santiago's return to the UFC was reported over the weekend, but the Sengoku Middleweight Champion had not officially signed his contract until this week.
Santiago appeared three times for the UFC in 2006, but notched only a 1-2 record in that time, with two knockout losses to Chris Leben and Alan Belcher. However, he's gone 12-1 since the loss to Belcher, and returns to the UFC on the heels of one of the best fights of all of 2010 last summer.
He is rumored to be meeting Brian Stann at UFC 130 in his return, though that bout has not yet been signed.
Penick's Analysis: It's hard to know just how much better Santiago is than when he first fought in the UFC. We've seen it time and time again that fighters having a lot of success in Japan have not necessarily been able to translate that into success in the U.S., so it could be that he's gotten a lot better, or that he's just looked better against a lower level of competition. Either way, Brian Stann marks an extremely tough fighter to welcome him back, and makes for an interesting stylistic matchup. Santiago's return is exciting, though, and even if he loses, it's sure to be in a fun and entertaining fight.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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